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<h1><a href="https://archiveofourown.org/works/26565391">Reflections</a> by <a class='authorlink' href='https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_opk/pseuds/Tiny_opk'>Tiny_opk</a></h1>

<table class="full">

<tr><td><b>Category:</b></td><td>She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Genre:</b></td><td>Flashbacks, Hurt/Comfort, Minor Violence, Music, Post-Canon, She-Ra and the Princesses of Power (2018) Season 5 Spoilers, Temporary Amnesia</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Language:</b></td><td>English</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Status:</b></td><td>Completed</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Published:</b></td><td>2020-09-20</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Updated:</b></td><td>2020-12-31</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Packaged:</b></td><td>2021-05-06 10:09:15</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Rating:</b></td><td>General Audiences</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Warnings:</b></td><td>Major Character Death</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Chapters:</b></td><td>19</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Words:</b></td><td>21,574</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Publisher:</b></td><td>archiveofourown.org</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Story URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/works/26565391</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Author URL:</b></td><td>https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tiny_opk/pseuds/Tiny_opk</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Summary:</b></td><td><div class="userstuff">
              <p>Something is wrong with Etheria's magic, and a few problems have popped up. Now the Best Friend Squad, with the help of Finn, look to solve Etheria's newest problems.</p>
            </div></td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Relationships:</b></td><td>Adora &amp; Bow &amp; Catra &amp; Glimmer (She-Ra), Adora/Catra (She-Ra), Bow &amp; Glimmer (She-Ra)</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Comments:</b></td><td>8</td></tr>

<tr><td><b>Kudos:</b></td><td>38</td></tr>

</table>

<a name="section0001"><h2>1. Beginning Again</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
      <p>This is set about 20 years after season 5, and references a real-world band in every chapter because I love them and also I love everyone from She-Ra.</p>
    </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>You begin to hear your own breathing. It’s labored, but you’re not sure why, or how you got here - or where “here” even is. You try to open your eyes, but it’s incredibly difficult. Whatever happened to you must have been seriously bad if it’s so much trouble to just do that.</p><p>Your eyes open, only a little, but enough to know that wherever you are is very dark. Your skin tingles, a combination of coolness and dampness making you feel very uncomfortable where you’re laying. And to add to it, it feels like you’re laying on a rock.</p><p><em> Am I in a cave? </em> It would surely explain what your surroundings feel like. <em> I must be </em> , you think, <em> what else could it even be? And how did I get here? </em></p><p>Before you have more time to think back on what led you to this cave, you hear very faint footsteps. Whoever it is must have something to do with why you’re here. </p><p><em> I need to ask them. </em> Suddenly the footsteps stop, even though they sounded far too soft to be close to you. As your eyes crack open again, you see a silhouette. Well, what you assume to be a silhouette, because it just looks like a person with a blanket draped over them.</p><p>“Wh- who are you? Where am I?” you manage to squeak out. Even the sound of your own voice throws you off. “<em> Who </em> am I?”</p><p>The person doesn’t respond. You feel their gaze tearing through you. You try to make out their face, or anything about their appearance but the darkness of the cave makes it impossible. You can’t even see what color clothes they’re wearing, not like it would help you identify them.</p><p>“What happened to me?” you ask. </p><p>The silhouetted person steps closer. You can now make out a little bit of their appearance. Their robes are red, their hair a slick black. You can’t quite make out their face, but you see a little bit of it. They have gray skin, with scars all across their face. As you’re trying to discern more about their appearance, they start to speak.</p><p>“I am the reason you are alive,” the person says. They have a voice that is equal parts soothing and terrifying, and it makes you want to run away. But you can’t, as you’ve just now noticed there are some sort of restraints holding you to the rock you’re laying on. As you begin to open your mouth to speak again, the voice interrupts you. “You were dead, but my powers have no limits, and I have brought you back to life.”</p><p><em> I was dead? They’re lying, they must be</em>, you think. Before you get the chance to express how outlandish you think this claim is, they stop you from speaking with a response to your inner ponderings.</p><p>“I know it seems absurd,” they say, “but it’s true. If I weren’t in such desperate need, I doubt I ever would’ve tried such a spell.”</p><p>“Then who am I?” you blurt out.</p><p>“I cannot tell you that yet. If I do, then it could possibly reverse the spell, killing you instantly.”</p><p><em> They’re lying, it wouldn’t do that, </em> you assume. “How am I ever supposed to figure out who I am then?”</p><p>“You must figure that out yourself,” they say, in a way that seems reasonable - although it’s not like you know anything about necromancy, and such vagueness certainly doesn’t help.</p><p>“Then how do I start?”</p>
<hr/><p>Glimmer jolts awake suddenly in a cold sweat. She feels… less magical. Her first instinct to test this theory is to create a light with the sparkles she has, which works.</p><p>“Huh,” she whispers under her breath. “Maybe my sorcery is inhibited?” She begins to draw a rune, a simple one used to illuminate an area, but for some reason it isn’t working. She tries to feel her connection, not only with the Moonstone, the source of some of her magic, but also the moons of Etheria, which give the Sorcerers their power.</p><p>As she does so, Bow wakes up next to her. “Glimmer?” he asks quietly. “What are you doing?”</p><p>“My connection with the moons is… wrong,” she responds.</p><p>“I don’t know, the pink sparkles in your hand seem to say otherwise.”</p><p>“Not the Moon<em>stone</em>, the <em> moons </em>. You know, the source of power for sorcery on Etheria.” She tries again to create the illumination rune, but with similarly dull results. “I’m gonna go find my dad.”</p><p>After she leaves their bedroom, she makes sure to be quiet as she moves throughout the castle. While most people in Brightmoon won’t wake up to someone walking around, or, in Glimmer’s much more convenient case, teleporting, it’s still best to try not to disturb anyone.</p><p>She reaches the door of her father’s bedroom, but before she can knock to ask him about the strange sensation, it swings open, revealing a <em> very </em> tired-looking King Micah.</p><p>“Ah, I was just about to look for you,” he says, clearly still drowsy. “I take it you feel less connected to the moons too?”</p><p>“Yes,” she replies, “but I don’t know why. Since I started practicing sorcery, I’ve never felt anything like this. Something must’ve happened.”</p><p>They look at each other, both pondering the possibilities while also trying not to fall over and pass out. After a few seconds, Glimmer’s eyes light up.</p><p>“What is it?” Micah asks.</p><p>“I’m gonna go to Mystacor really quick to see if Aunt Casta or any of the other Mystacor sorcerers know anything,” she spouts in a flurry.</p><p>“Wait, take-” before the King can get his sentence out, she vanishes, the faint linger of her magic used to teleport still there. “-me with you,” he finishes.</p><p>When Glimmer arrives in Mystacor, she immediately knows something’s wrong. Far too many people are awake for this time of night, even with Mystacor’s typical nightlife and the nice weather. She starts looking for Castaspella, who, as the head sorceress of Mystacor, is more likely to know what this is than anyone else.</p><p>“Aunt Casta!” Glimmer shouts. “What’s happening? I felt disconnected from the moons, and so did my dad. I figured if anyone knew what was happening it would be you.”</p><p>“Glimmer! Oh, it’s so good to see you, although, these circumstances are not ideal.” Castaspella replies. “I’m not completely sure, but I think someone is draining the magical energy from the moons. I’ve never felt this way before, not even when Shadow Weaver used the Spell of Obtainment.”</p><p>“Well is it someone in Mystacor doing it?” Glimmer asks.</p><p>Casta shakes her head. “I’m afraid not,” she answers. “Whoever it is, they’re not here. I feel like the most likely place for them to be is the Whispering Woods. The natural labyrinth it creates would be great to hide such dark magic.”</p><p><em> Dark magic. </em> The words ring through Glimmer’s head. Her memory of Shadow Weaver draining her power in the Fright Zone comes back to her, and then the memory of being trapped in place by Micah. She <em> really </em> doesn’t want to deal with another power-hungry sorcerer that’s using dark magic.</p><p>“I think I’m gonna go back to Brightmoon then,” she says while yawning. “I’m still pretty tired, and tomorrow we can get a group together to search the Whispering Woods for anyone- or any<em> thing</em>- unusual.”</p><p>“Okay, well be safe. Whoever it is probably has bad intentions,” is the equally exhausted reply from Casta.</p><p>Glimmer teleports back to Brightmoon Castle, intent to at least get some sleep before she starts to hunt down this dark sorcerer. Her tiredness proves troublesome though, instead of teleporting into the hallway just outside her bedroom, she appears in her dad’s room, who has already fallen back asleep.</p><p><em> Guess I should be quiet when I leave</em>, she thinks. As she starts to creep out of the room, Micah suddenly sits up.</p><p>“Who’s there?” He shouts. “Glimmer? Did you have to wake me up?”</p><p>“Sorry Dad, I was trying to teleport to my room but I missed by a little bit.”</p><p>“Eh, well have a good night,” he responds groggily. “Wait. Did Casta know anything?”</p><p>“Yeah, she did,” Glimmer answers. “I’m too tired to talk about it now, we’ll discuss it in the morning.” She begins the walk from Micah’s room to her’s.</p><p>As she enters her bedroom, she hears Bow groan.</p><p>“When you left you could’ve at least closed the door.”</p><p>“What? I thought I did.”</p><p>“Well, you didn’t close the door,” Bow says faintly. “Whatever, let’s go back to sleep.”</p>
<hr/><p>The next morning, with a feeling of magic somewhat restored, Glimmer finds her dad after he eats breakfast. She explains what Casta told her during her impromptu visit to Mystacor the previous night.</p><p>“So we’re supposed to chase down some dark sorcerer? Seems a bit rushed to me,” Micah says.</p><p>“You don’t have to if you don’t want to,” Glimmer responds. “Bow and I are going to look for them, and Catra and Adora will probably help too.”</p><p>“Are you sure? We don’t know what they’re capable of, it might be worth it to have a bigger group,” Micah suggests.</p><p>“Relax, Dad, we’ll be fine,” she answers. “There’s nothing the four of us can’t handle. Now let me go find Catra and Adora.”</p><p>She teleports to a house near Brightmoon, with a view from the backyard that overlooks the Bay that the castle is built on. It’s nice, Glimmer thinks, as she approaches the front door. It’s been a while since she’s been here; Catra and Adora typically go to the castle when the Best Friend Squad is meeting up. She knocks on the door, expecting the response to take a few minutes, but it is almost instantaneously opened.</p><p>“Glimmer!” the teenaged magicat shouts. </p><p>“Hi Finn!” Glimmer responds. “I need to talk to your moms, this is <em> really </em>important.”</p><p>“Ugh fiiiiine,” Finn begrudgingly answers. “I’ll go get them.”</p><p>As they walk upstairs, Glimmer goes into the living room and sits in a chair, the same one she usually sits in when she’s here. After a minute of waiting, Finn returns, with Catra and Adora in tow.</p><p>“Hey Sparkles,” Catra says as she enters the room. “Couldn’t even be bothered to bring Arrow Boy with you?”</p><p>“Oops,” Glimmer mutters. “Hang on a sec, I’ll be right back.” As soon as she finishes her sentence, she disappears, clearly having teleported back to the castle to get Bow.</p><p>“And you say <em> I’m </em> the dumb one,” Adora jokes to Catra.</p><p>“You’re <em> such </em> an idiot,” Catra responds before leaning in to kiss her wife. As they separate from each other’s lips, Glimmer and Bow suddenly appear in front of them.</p><p>“Okay, where were we?” Glimmer asks. “Oh right, whatever’s going on with the moons.”</p><p>“Ooh, something weird with the moons? I want in on whatever’s happening,” Finn says from the corner of the room.</p><p>“No, you shouldn’t be a part of this, whatever it is is <em> really </em> weird,” Glimmer responds.</p><p>“They can stay, at least let Finn know what we’re getting into,” Adora replies, causing Finn to pump their fist in victory.</p><p>“Well, last night I woke up suddenly and I wasn’t sure why. I felt something wrong with my magic, but I could teleport and create sparkles just fine. I tried to make a pretty simple rune but, something was stopping it from working. I talked to my dad, and he didn’t have any ideas so I went to Mystacor to ask Aunt Casta who seemed to know a bit more. She said someone was draining the power of the moons, causing sorcerers across Etheria to be weakened. Apparently it wasn’t anyone from Mystacor, but she thought whoever it was could be in the Whispering Woods, as it could help them hide.”</p><p>“Ooh so we’re gonna hunt down a dark sorcerer?” Catra asks enthusiastically. “You know I’m always willing to fight people that remind me of…” she winces.</p><p>“I want in,” Finn interrupts. “I know you don’t think I’m ready but I am. Let me prove it.”</p><p>Catra and Adora look at each other, as if discussing the request telepathically. </p><p>“Fine,” Adora says. “Are we splitting up into teams to search?”</p><p>“I think we should,” Bow answers. “It’s pretty much due south from Brightmoon to the Crystal Castle, from there we could split into 2 or 3 teams.”</p><p>“I can go by myself,” Adora says. “After all, I <em> am- </em>” Suddenly, the curtains fly open revealing a pegasus with rainbow wings.</p><p>“Did somebody say <em> Swiftwind </em>?” the horse butts in.</p><p>Adora sighs before continuing. “As I was saying, I can go with Swiftwind.” The pegasus whinnies in excitement at Adora’s suggestion.</p><p>“Well it would seem wrong to have you two be on one team with the other 5 of us on the other,” Catra says. “So we’ll split up into three. Sparkles, Arrow Boy, you two should look together. I’ll take Finn and Melog.”</p><p>“So it’ll be three teams, me and Swiftwind, Bow and Glimmer, and Catra, Finn, and Melog,” Adora says. “Let’s get going then.”</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This chapter sorta references two Misterwives songs. The chapter title is a reference to one of their newest songs '3 small words' and there is a reference to 'Reflections' (which happens to be the song referenced in the work title).</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0002"><h2>2. Find my way Home</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Best Friend Squad and Finn search for the Dark magician, but encounter some setbacks on the way.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>After donning their preferred gear for this manhunt, they begin the walk to the Crystal Castle. It seems as though it has gotten closer to Brightmoon since Adora first visited it, she thinks. They reach the structure and get ready to split up into the three groups they had already decided on.</p><p>“I think Bow and I should go south,” Glimmer suggests. “We’ll be the farthest away from Brightmoon and if needed I can teleport us back.”</p><p>“That makes sense to me,” Adora replies. “Swiftwind and I will go east then, and Catra, Finn, and Melog can go west.” </p><p>The group agrees to this, and as Glimmer and Bow start to head past the Crystal Castle to the south, Adora and Catra share one last moment together before their first mission in a while.</p><p>“Good luck, Catra,” Adora says.</p><p>“Pfft you think <em> I’ll </em> be the one needing luck?” Catra responds. “I love you, dummy,” she continues before leaning in to kiss Adora.</p><p>As they should be going separate ways, they all start going west, with the exception of Swiftwind.</p><p>“Uh, Adora?” he says. “That’s west. We agreed we were going east.”</p><p>“Whoops, guess I got turned around a bit,” she responds before turning to walk with Swiftwind.</p><p>“She is <em> such </em> an idiot,” Catra mumbles under her breath as she, Melog, and Finn start travelling westward.</p><p>The search is uneventful for Adora and Swiftwind. As they fly above the Whispering Woods, they find nothing unusual, so they decide to walk. Even when walking, the woods seem ordinary- at least, as ordinary as the Whispering Woods can be.</p><p>Glimmer and Bow have a similarly boring walk, with nothing out of the ordinary standing out to them. Bow checks his Tracker Pad to see if anything has come in from Adora or Catra, but it’s quiet.</p><p>Catra, Finn, and Melog, on the other hand, start to hear unusual noises from somewhere in their area. They look around the surroundings, but with little success in finding anything. As they continue on, Finn hears something else, similar to the noises that they had been hearing before.</p><p>“Did you hear that?” they ask quickly.</p><p>“Hear what?” Catra responds. “I think you’re imagining things.”</p><p>“No, I’m sure I heard something. It came from this way,” they say before turning to run deeper into the woods. “C’mon, follow me Mom.”</p><p>“What? No, there’s nothing there,” Catra replies, but Finn has already gotten out of her sight. She sighs. “I guess we’ll have to find Finn first before we can continue,” she tells Melog.</p><p>Catra and Melog start to go in the direction that Finn went, but neither of them can find them. Melog growls to Catra in confusion, something Catra has rarely heard from the magical Krytisian.</p><p>Finn’s search for the source of the sound is short-lived, as it suddenly stops. They keep walking around the area, looking for anything out of the ordinary. As Finn is walking around they hear the same sound again, but this time it’s louder. They locate the direction it came from, and start to walk that way. After a very brief walk, they find an opening to a cave, with vines and foliage almost completely covering the entrance.</p><p>“Aha! This is where it’s coming from!” they exclaim. Finn <em> really </em> wants to go in, but decides it’s better to call for their mom first. As they finish calling for Catra, someone starts to exit the cave. It’s a tall woman with skin a few shades lighter than Bow, and long, wavy, brown hair. The hair, while mostly uniform, has a few spots that appear to be kinked, and the woman’s eyes that are a bright blue that Finn can only compare to Adora’s.</p><p>Without warning, the woman lunges forward, a staff in hand. Before Finn can even react, the woman swings it into Finn’s left leg. As they fall they see another person begin to creep out of the cave, who appears to start using magic to trap them. </p><p><em> That must be the dark sorcerer </em>, Finn thinks just before falling unconscious.</p>
<hr/><p>When Finn finally comes to, they’re in a makeshift prison, presumably in the cave. </p><p>“Who are you?” they blurt almost immediately after regaining consciousness.</p><p>“Who I am is of no concern to <em> you </em>, magicat,” the sorcerer says. Her voice is calm, yet instills fear that Finn was not expecting. “However, I do need to keep you here until a certain someone comes to get you.” The sorcerer walks away, going to watch the entrance to the cave.</p><p>“Well who are you?” Finn asks the other woman.</p><p>She looks puzzled. Her eyes wander around the area, and then she opens her mouth to speak, but clearly uncertain. </p><p>“I don’t know,” she says softly. “I woke up in this cave and couldn’t remember anything about how I got here. Shadow Weaver said she saved me- well, she said something about me being dead, but I don’t believe <em>that</em>.”</p><p>“Wait. <em>Shadow Weaver</em>?” Finn asks intently. The woman nods, confused as to how the young magicat knows who someone who’s been presumed dead for 20 years is. “I’ve heard about her. She basically raised my moms, and they said she broke them. Even when she died- well, when they thought she died- she did it in a way that hurt them. Hearing she’s alive is a bad dream, now turned into reality.”</p><p>“I- I didn’t know. She only told me that there was a looming threat that only I could stop. She wouldn’t even tell me what it was,” the woman replies. “Shadow Weaver only told me that it was the only way for me to figure out who I was- who I <em> am </em>.”</p><p>Finn looks down at the floor. When they look back up, the woman is gone.</p>
<hr/><p>“Find anything yet?” Catra asks Melog, who growls a negative in response. “Let’s keep looking and meet back here in an hour.” The two split up, on the lookout for anything that can lead them to Finn.</p><p>As Melog wanders, they find a cave entrance that seems <em> very </em> familiar. Curious, they go to investigate it, but not before hiding themself with magic. As soon as they enter the cave they notice someone standing nearby. It’s a tall woman with red robes flowing to the ground that Melog thinks they’ve seen before. </p><p>Not caring who it is, they venture deeper into the cave. It feels like Melog has been here before but when… and why? </p><p>As they get deeper in they know why they recognize it. It’s the cave they stayed in with Catra, Adora, and a few others when they had first arrived on Etheria during the occupation of Horde Prime. Last time Melog was here, it was in a last ditch effort with Catra to try to save Adora. And when they arrived there was no one here except…</p><p>Shadow Weaver. That’s who the woman in the red robes was. And it must be who drained the magic. It’s just a memory, but Melog is certain that it’s the same sorcerer.</p><p>Melog contemplates leaving, getting Catra and having her call the rest of the search party, but before they do, they see someone in an alcove with metal bars locking it off, a jail of some kind. They get closer, trying to figure out who it is that has been imprisoned in this cave.</p><p>Almost as soon as Melog sees the figure in the cage they recognize them.</p><p>Finn.</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This one is a bit more obvious, the song is 'find my way home' from their newest album SUPERBLOOM (which will have many more songs referenced) and is one of my favorite of their songs.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0003"><h2>3. Best I Can Do</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Finn and Catra confront the Dark Sorcerer.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>CW: This chapter has a somewhat graphic depiction of violence! I don't think it's too bad, but if you are not a fan of violence it might make you uncomfortable.</p><p>I'm also not sure how "graphic" it should be to warrant a CW, but I figure putting it on the safer side is better.</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Melog approaches the bars and makes themself smaller, just small enough to fit through. They sneak through, and rub against Finn, who is understandably confused by whatever invisible thing is touching them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melog uncloaks themself, revealing them to Finn, who looks delighted to see them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Melog!” they whisper excitedly. “I think you can break these bars- or at least separate them enough- for me to get out, but we need a distraction of some kind or else she’ll just throw me right back in here. You should hide so if the other woman comes by she doesn’t see you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Taking Finn’s suggestion, Melog re-cloaks themself. As if on cue, the other woman walks up to Finn’s cell.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I tried to ask her about it, but she wouldn’t tell me,” the woman says to Finn. “I’m starting to think there’s something up with her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, yeah,” Finn says as if it were common knowledge. “I wouldn’t trust her with cleaning up after a meal, certainly not telling me what she’s up to.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman lets out a soft laugh before a voice calls out from the entrance to the cave, echoing as if it’s coming from everywhere.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finn!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It’s Catra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, guess I gotta go see what Shadow Weaver wants with her now, too,” the woman says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as she’s out of sight, Finn gives a nod to Melog. Now is their time to escape. Melog squeezes between the bars, a tight fit, but exactly what they wanted. They grow back to their normal size, pressing the old bars apart. Suddenly, the two that Melog are touching snap, and dirt starts to fall from the top of the alcove. Finn dives out before the cell collapses, luckily avoiding all of it but a few small rocks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they stand up, pain shoots down their leg, right where the woman hit her earlier. Luckily, Finn is still able to walk, although not without the help of a piece of the broken bars. Melog cloaks the two of them as they try to find their way out, which goes smoothly until they near the entrance.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hello, Catra,” Shadow Weaver says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh- no, this can’t be real you’re supposed to be dead,” is Catra’s frantic response. “How are you here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What you saw at the Heart was merely an illusion. I have spent years since then trying to recover from the toll it took on me,” the sorceress replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman looks at Shadow Weaver. The Heart? Why does that sound familiar to her?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She asks about it. “What is The Heart? I- I feel like I’ve heard of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, probably when Adora stopped it from destroying the universe twice,” Catra snorts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Regardless of your memory, I need you to help me,” Shadow Weaver says to the woman. “You possess a power that you don’t yet know of that will help me stop these, these </span>
  <em>
    <span>fools</span>
  </em>
  <span>. As for Catra, I have some unfinished business.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>As soon as Shadow Weaver finishes her sentence, she begins to use dark magic to grab Catra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You always do this!” Catra yells at her. “All you do is hurt people! Even if someone does something good, it’s not enough! </span>
  <em>
    <span>Nothing </span>
  </em>
  <span>is ever good enough! Why can’t you just leave us alone?!” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn watches from a few yards behind Shadow Weaver, terrified of what will happen to their mom. They hobble over towards Shadow Weaver, old bar in hand.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn looks at the pain in Catra’s face, wanting to do something- </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span>- to help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stop!” yells the other woman. “What are you doing?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Doing something I should’ve done many years ago,” Shadow Weaver responds angrily.</span>
</p><p><em><span>I have to do something</span></em><span>, Finn thinks. </span><em><span>But what?</span></em> <em><span>I can’t let her continue like this. </span></em><span>As their mind wanders, searching for a way to help Catra, who is now down on her knees, they notice one end of the bar they’re using to hold themself up is surprisingly pointy. </span></p><p>
  <span>Finn starts running- well, as much as they can run right now- towards Shadow Weaver. As they near her back, they raise the bar above their head, and let out a roar as if they were trying to scare away a small animal. As they do so, Shadow Weaver’s grip on Catra appears to let up as she starts to turn to look at the source of the battle cry. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>But before she ever sees Finn behind her, she lets out a scream of pain, and releases the magical hold she had on Catra.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Catra feels the release of the dark magic on her, and assumes the worst. She opens her eyes, expecting Shadow Weaver to be standing over her as the last of her life gets drained, but she’s shocked by what she sees.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melog reveals themself and Finn, who’s holding a piece of metal that’s protruding from both the front and back of Shadow Weaver’s torso. Catra looks up in disbelief, having both found her missing child, and watching the dark sorcerer that raised her fall to the ground, lifeless and limp.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She crawls to her feet, struggling to stand after the toll Shadow Weaver took on her. She sees shadows release from the body of Shadow Weaver, her dark magic gone, and limps to the entrance of the cave. She stands, propping herself against some rocks just outside of the cave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom!” Finn yells. “You’re okay! I thought I was too late.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll be fine,” Catra responds. “Nothing she hasn’t done to me before,” she finishes, before turning to see the other woman walk out of the cave, disoriented and unsure of herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?” Finn snarls at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I don’t know.” Finn’s piercing gaze softens on her. “Shadow Weaver did something to me, and, well, I’m not sure what. She </span>
  <em>
    <span>said</span>
  </em>
  <span> I was dead, but I don’t see how that could be possible. I want to know why she brought me back,” the woman answers. “Please. Take me as your prisoner until I can figure out who I am,” she concludes, holding her hands out in front of her, her staff planted in the ground nearby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra nods to her. “We don’t have anything to hold you here with. If you </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> want to be our prisoner, you can wait until we get everyone else here. But if you decide you want to leave, well, there’s nothing we can do to stop you right now.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sure.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>A bit of an older song in this chapter, 'Best I Can Do' is from Misterwives' first album (and is really good)!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0004"><h2>4. Twisted Tongue</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The dark sorcerer has been dealt with, and this chapter is no plot, just pain.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Glimmer and Bow are the first to arrive after Catra calls, thanks to Glimmer’s teleportation. They sit down in the opening outside the cave, opposite from a woman that they don’t recognize, but appears to be in much better shape than the two Magicats.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who is this?” Bow asks Catra, pointing at the woman on the other side of the clearing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She doesn’t know,” Catra answers while shrugging. “Something happened to her memory and she doesn’t even know her name. There’s more to it, but I’m gonna wait until Adora gets here.” A few minutes later, she hears the distinct sound of the flapping of wings. “I guess she’s here now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora and Swiftwind land in the center of the clearing, where Adora quickly dismounts her steed.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who are you?” Adora asks the unknown woman she sees sitting nearby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know,” the woman responds. “If I did, I wouldn’t be here trying to figure that out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know anything about dark magic? That’s why we’re here,” Adora says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, I’d say she does,” Catra answers. She begins to delve into the story of what happened, with Finn hearing seemingly nothing, to her stumbling upon the cave they now stand outside. “I went in, looking for them, and, well…” she trails off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Melog was already helping me leave,” Finn continues, “but when she came in, the dark sorceress showed herself. Luckily, we won’t have to deal with </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to her?” Adora inquires.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She tried to kill me,” Catra says quietly, her head staring down at the ground. “I didn’t think she could be here, and I let myself get distracted before she made her attack.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Didn’t think who could be here?” Adora asks her wife. Catra looks up at her, tears welling up in her eyes. Without saying anything, Adora eyes widen as she realizes exactly who it was. “How- how was she alive? We watched her disappear into a ball of fire, there’s no way anyone can survive that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer chimes in, confused as to who this silent communication is about. “Wait, who was this? What do you mean she shouldn’t have been alive?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora looks at her, face twisted with many emotions all at once. “It was- it was Shadow Weaver,” she manages to get out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What!?” Bow and Glimmer exclaim simultaneously. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She also did something to my memory,” says the other woman, who’s still sitting in the same spot. “She said she needed me to help her, but when I saw what she was doing to Catra, well, I couldn’t take her side anymore.” She looks at Finn. “I wish I had listened to what you said.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group sits silently for a tick. When the silence is finally broken, it’s Finn continuing with the events of earlier in the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I saw what Shadow Weaver was doing to Catra,” they mumble, “I had to do something. I was already holding a metal bar with a pointy end, and, well,” they pause, before miming the use of the bar in Shadow Weaver’s death. “I-” Finn starts tearing up. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>killed </span>
  </em>
  <span>her. She was terrible, but… but was it really my place to decide she should die?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group once again falls quiet, but this time it’s Adora who breaks the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should get back to Brightmoon. We’ll take you with us,” she says to the woman that looks oddly familiar.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, but I need a ride,” Finn responds, “because </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> had to hit me in the leg really hard,” they continue, shooting a glare over at the woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well hop on!” Swiftwind shouts, carrying an enthusiasm that is </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> opposite of the general mood of the group.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn hobbles over to Swiftwind, and then, with a little help from Adora, gets on his back. After mounting their mom’s steed, Finn grabs at their injured leg. When they make contact with the bruise, they feel a strange burn shoot through their leg.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know that none of you have any reason to trust me,” the woman says, “but I need to know who I am. Something happened to me, and I need answers.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, you are sounding </span>
  <em>
    <span>exactly</span>
  </em>
  <span> like Adora the night we first met,” Bow points out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, she does. Hopefully we won’t have to run or fight for our life as much this time,” Glimmer jokes. “We should get going, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Best Friend Squad- and Finn and the mystery woman- begin the journey to Brightmoon. Although it takes just over an hour, there is little conversation.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>When they arrive at the castle, Glimmer shows the woman to her new room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, this is your room now, I guess. It’s also technically our holding cell, but that’s just because we don’t have a real jail and it’s the only room that isn’t used for anything else,” Glimmer says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thank you,” the woman answers. “When I told Catra I wanted to come back with her, I said as her prisoner, so I guess this all worked out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you know you did something wrong, and choose to be a prisoner, we won’t treat you like that, especially since you don’t know anything about what led you to that cave,” the queen says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After she leaves the room, she walks to the house on the cliff, deciding the time to think would suit her better. Even though the time alone doesn’t help her think of any new plans to deal with the predicament they’re in, she’s able to clear her mind by the time she reaches the front door.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She takes a deep breath before knocking, knowing that whatever she ends up discussing with Adora and Catra could be painful to any or all of them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora answers silently, letting Glimmer in. They go to sit down in the living room, and once they do Adora breaks the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to talk about what to do now,” she says. “Sh- the sorcerer- is dead, but what do we do about the woman? We have to help her. Oh! I could try healing her, She-Ra’s magic is </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> strong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where’s Finn and Catra? She seems to trust the two of them,” Glimmer responds. “She said something like that when I showed her to her room.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think they’re both sleeping,” Adora answers. “Finn seemed like they wanted to be alone, and Catra was really tired from whatever was done to her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They sit there wordlessly, much like they did multiple times in the outcropping near the cave earlier in the day.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You should get some sleep too,” Adora suggests. “You’ve been awake for a long time, and after a night of not enough sleep, you’ll need it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer nods silently before teleporting back to the castle. Adora decides she should probably go to bed too, and goes upstairs to her shared bedroom with Catra. When she walks in, she expects to find Catra curled up at the foot of the bed, as per usual, but instead she’s sprawled out, covering most of the bed. Adora climbs into a small spot on the side of the bed, doing her best to avoid disturbing Catra. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you- do you think she ever really cared?” Catra asks unexpectedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora is startled, both by the question and the fact that Catra is awake. “I- I don’t know. If she did, then she managed to mask it well. And if she didn’t, well, that seems a bit more likely to me,” Adora responds before yawning loudly. “Good night, Catra,” she says as she starts to doze off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good night, Adora,” Catra replies, breaking from the usual pet names she calls Adora.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Another one where the chapter title is also the song title, this is also the first of back-to-back chapters where the song reference is only from the Reflections EP.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0005"><h2>5. Overflow</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Adora tries to heal the woman, and Catra and Finn have a talk.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>The next morning, Adora leaves the house early, walking to the castle to see what she can do to help the woman with amnesia. After arriving, she goes to the room where the woman is staying, silently letting herself in while she sleeps.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the woman wakes up, she looks at Adora, confused as to how she had snuck in so quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“How long have you been here?” she asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“A while. I have </span>
  <em>
    <span>lots </span>
  </em>
  <span>of experience sneaking around this castle,” Adora replies. “I came to help you; I think I know of a way to restore your memory.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” the woman says. “Then go ahead, I will gladly take any help I can get.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Adora responds as she moves closer, “I need you to close your eyes and let me use my magic.” The woman nods, and closes her eyes as Adora had requested.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora puts her hands on either side of the woman’s head, holding it tenderly as she starts to take deep breaths. The glow of She-Ra’s magic begins to come over Adora, and shortly after it surrounds the other woman as well.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few moments of this, Adora lets go, allowing the two to sit back.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember anything?” Adora asks as the woman opens her eyes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I don’t,” the woman replies dejectedly, pausing for a second before asking curiously, “What was that feeling?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Healing magic. I have a connection to Etheria that’s not like anyone else’s, and it allows me to use magic for, well, just about anything,” Adora answers. “I thought it would be able to heal you- to help you remember your past- but I guess not even She-Ra is that strong.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She-Ra? I know that name,” the woman says. “It’s only the second thing I’ve recognized since Shadow Weaver woke me up in that cave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Second? What was the first?” Adora asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She said ‘The Heart’ and I thought I had heard of it,” she answers. “Obviously I know about magic and Etheria and a bunch of stuff like that, but nothing specific really.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Let’s go find Glimmer and Bow then, maybe they’ll have an idea of what else could jog your memory,” Adora suggests, before standing up and offering a hand to help the woman to her feet. They leave the room to go find the royals as Adora had suggested, both unsure of what they would know.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Finn wakes up late in the morning, and goes to talk to one or both of their moms. They find Catra finishing up a late breakfast, who looks at Finn’s remorseful face and stops what she’s doing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s wrong Finn?” she asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wish I didn’t do it,” Finn responds. “I know it was the only thing I could do there but… but it’s not my place to decide.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand what you mean. Trust me, I have done </span>
  <em>
    <span>plenty</span>
  </em>
  <span> of things I regret now,” Catra replies.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But just because </span>
  <em>
    <span>you’ve</span>
  </em>
  <span> done bad things doesn’t mean it’s okay for me to do,” Finn says. “I want to be better than you, and clearly that won’t be happening now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright I’m gonna go ahead and stop you there. I have done things </span>
  <em>
    <span>much </span>
  </em>
  <span>worse than what you did yesterday, and-” Finn interrupts before she can finish her sentence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So I’m just supposed to feel better knowing that I’m not the worst person in the family? Is that what you’re saying?” Finn blurts as tears start streaming down their face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, that’s not what I’m saying,” Catra responds in a tone that is surprisingly calm for the conversation that’s taking place. “I’m saying that it will get better. You can be upset all you want now, just know that people will forgive you.” She stops for a second, and then continues in a softer voice. “If it weren’t for me, Queen Angella would still be here. I opened the portal that she got trapped in. And yet Glimmer is still one of my closest friends. She had no reason to forgive me for what I did, but she forgave me anyway. She accepted me as if I hadn’t ever done the things I did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn looks at their mom, and softly asks, “Really?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra nods. “Reflections on the past become inspections of ourselves. We wonder, we gain new insight, we use this to grow- </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>live in the past.” Her voice softens again. “Even if it is all you can think about sometimes.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When- when Shadow Weaver-” Catra flinches when she hears the name- “attacked you yesterday, it brought back bad memories, didn’t it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” she responds as she hugs Finn. “It reminded me of everytime growing up in the Horde she would punish me for anything, even the smallest out of place crate. Something could be a half an inch away from where she wanted it, and she would hurt me. I could be working with her directly, and if someone else messed up, it was my fault. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Especially</span>
  </em>
  <span> if it was Adora. It was her way of keeping us in line. I was responsible for Adora’s mistakes, and she was responsible for making me be better.” She stops before mumbling one last thing. “I’m glad she’s gone though. For good, this time.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Okay, so you remember She-Ra, and The Heart. Maybe we could bring you to some other First Ones artifacts to try to bring back your memory!” Bow suggests excitedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to check on Catra and Finn before we go,” Adora says. “I know that what happened yesterday really upset them both.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, I’d prefer if they came with us,” the woman beside her requests. “The two of them were the first people I met since, well, whatever happened to me, that </span>
  <em>
    <span>weren’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>evil.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you want me to come with you to your house, Adora?” Glimmer asks. “It’ll be a lot faster that way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure,” Adora answers. “But you should teleport us outside the house. I’m not sure how they’ll be feeling right now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer nods, and holds her hand out to Adora. She grabs Glimmer’s hand, and they teleport outside the front door of the house overlooking Brightmoon Bay. She walks up to the door, and walks in quietly. It’s late enough that they’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>probably</span>
  </em>
  <span> both awake, but she still wants to make sure that she doesn’t accidentally wake them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Adora,” Catra says softly when Adora walks in. “Back from healing that woman?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it didn’t really work. But when I mentioned She-Ra, she seemed to recognize it,” Adora replies. “We’re gonna try to see if any other First Ones stuff helps her, and she really wanted you two to come with us. She really trusts you two.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go,” Finn says from behind Catra. “I need to do something other than sit here and think about yesterday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hold on a sec,” Catra says to Finn, “You could barely walk last night, there’s no </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m letting you go on another adventure today.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My leg feels fine, Mom,” Finn replies. “I’m not sure why, but it just… does, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, really?” Catra asks, surprised by Finn’s quick recovery. They nod, and Catra shrugs as she continues, skeptical of Finn's situation. “Well, alright, I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Melog growls something to Catra, and Catra relays their desire to join. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess we’re all going,” Catra says. “Maybe we could start with the Crystal Castle?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others agree, and decide to head back to Brightmoon. The group gets close to each other, and Glimmer teleports them to Brightmoon Castle. Bow and the woman are waiting there for them, and as they are about to begin their search, Bow’s tracker pad lights up, a call from Entrapta.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bow!” she shouts in her usual enthused voice. “I have some </span>
  <em>
    <span>terrifying</span>
  </em>
  <span> news.” The group in Brightmoon exchanges a few quick looks before Entrapta continues. “I’ve been looking into what happened when The Heart was deactivated ever since Adora did it, and I’ve found something </span>
  <em>
    <span>fascinating</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well what is it?” he asks worriedly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It turns out that the First Ones built some sort of mechanism to alert them if anything happened to The Heart of Etheria,” she answers. “And when Adora used the failsafe, it must’ve caused it to activate, so now- </span>
  <em>
    <span>I think- </span>
  </em>
  <span>whatever remains of the First Ones are on their way here as we speak!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh oh,” Adora says, “We should get going before the First Ones arrive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“According to my data, it </span>
  <em>
    <span>appears</span>
  </em>
  <span> that a First Ones ship is on its way right now! They could be here within a few hours!” Entrapta replies, still excited.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sighs, realizing that this trip will likely have to wait. “Entrapta, can you bring Darla to Brightmoon? We might need it- sorry, </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span>- to deal with the First Ones,” Adora requests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Will do! I’ll be there shortly!” is the response Adora receives before the tracker pad goes dark.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Thank you for all the support! As I've said, this is my first Fan Fic, so it really means a lot to me! &lt;3<br/>One more thing, the Finn/Catra conversation was one of the first things I had thought out for this story, and I'm excited to finally share it!<br/>This week's song is 'Kings and Queens' one of two songs only released on the Reflections EP, and as I said with the last chapter, I put them back-to-back in the story.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0006"><h2>6. Sky's the Limit Syndrome</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Best Friend Squad (and Finn and the woman) set out with Entrapta to meet the First Ones.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This was such a fun chapter to write! It's also the first chapter that references things that aren't She-Ra or the band I've been referencing!</p><p>Also, I'm changing to a Sunday/Thursday release schedule, hope you enjoy!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>When Entrapta arrives, she looks at the new girl, confused by the addition.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Who’s this?” she asks Adora, as she gets awkwardly close using her hair as a way to elevate herself to the mysterious woman’s eye-level.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re not sure,” Adora answers. “She has some </span>
  <em>
    <span>serious </span>
  </em>
  <span>amnesia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Entrapta’s tracker pad lights up, and she looks at it without hesitation. “It </span>
  <em>
    <span>appears</span>
  </em>
  <span> that the ship I was tracking is faster than I predicted. It should be landing soon, likely in the Crimson Waste.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I guess we’re going to the Crimson Waste,” Adora sighs. She looks at the woman. “Sorry about all of this.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No worries!” she says smiling. “But I don’t think I’ve ever heard of the Crimson Waste. What is that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a giant desert south of here,” Adora responds. “It’s been there for hundreds of years, I guess that must be part of what you forgot when, well, whatever it was that happened to you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Shadow Weaver said something to me when I first woke up, and, well, I don’t think it was true, but it could explain why I don’t know the Crimson Waste,” the woman replies nervously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group starts walking out of the castle, but the woman remains where she is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aren’t you coming?” Finn asks her, clearly suggesting that she has a place with them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She starts walking, and joins the group. When they step outside the castle and she sees Darla, she starts seeing flashes. She cries out in pain, these memories- or whatever they are- causing something to happen.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened?” Glimmer says as the group turns to look at the woman.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I saw something. Nothing enough to tell me who I am, but- something,” she responds. “I saw the stars. And then there was a huge explosion, I think.” She stops, trying to remember anything else she saw. “But that was it.” She frowns. “Maybe the Crimson Waste will remind me of something even though I’ve never heard of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all climb aboard the ship, the woman with a </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> strong feeling of deja vu. When they reach the bridge, the woman looks around, as if she’s been here before.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Has</span>
  </em>
  <span> she been here before?</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>They land in the Crimson Waste, and as they step off of Darla, a very tall, muscular woman greets them. She introduces herself to the new woman as Huntara, the de facto leader of the Crimson Waste.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Shortly after they greet each other, a ship that looks similar, yet sleeker, than Darla lands nearby, presumably the First Ones that Entrapta had predicted were on their way to Etheria.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They expect a large group of people to deboard the other ship, but instead only one man walks down the ramp. He’s slightly taller than Adora, with short, straight, blond hair. He’s wearing a pink vest, and a tight, white shirt that shows off his muscular upper body.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He starts to speak, a deep, tough-sounding voice leaving his mouth. “I wish to speak with the facilitator of this planet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group of Etherians look at each other, confused by what he means.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After a few seconds, Adora realizes who the man means. “She’s gone,” she says. “Who are you and why are you on Etheria?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m the ambassador of Eternia-” Adora winces at the mention of Eternia, and the woman nearby does as well, even though she isn’t sure why. “And I wish to speak with the facilitator of this planet about what has happened to its magic.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Like I said,” Adora responds, “she’s gone. So you’re gonna have to talk to </span>
  <em>
    <span>us</span>
  </em>
  <span>.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man sighs. “Fine. My name is Adam, and I’m from Eternia. My people inhabited this planet thousands of years ago, and did their best to control the unstable magical energy it possessed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, you didn’t do a great job of that,” Catra retorts. “It almost destroyed the entire universe twice.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam side-eyes Catra before continuing. “As I was saying, about a thousand years ago this planet disappeared, its magical energy being the presumed source of the catastrophe. When it reappeared about 20 years ago, we were shocked. Then, I was told someone tried to destroy the planet’s magic. I was supposed to be in charge of fixing it, but without the facilitator…” he trails off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did your people tell you it was a super-weapon that could destroy the universe?” Adora asks. The man looks puzzled by Adora’s insinuation. “The magic being controlled by The Heart was incredibly unstable, and now that it’s been freed, the planet has healed, and the magic is used for good- well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>mostly</span>
  </em>
  <span> good- purposes now, and we don’t want it any other way. Now leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn looks over at the woman next to them, who’s trying to make sense of all of this. She’s baffled beyond words, every sentence adding more to the mystery she’s attempting to unravel.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I won’t leave,” Adam replies. “If I do, I’ll probably be thrown in jail for the rest of my life.” His voice softens. “They told me I was chosen, and that, while I’m the strongest of us, they can take away my power, force me to become nothing. I do what they say, and that includes this. So I don’t care </span>
  <em>
    <span>who</span>
  </em>
  <span> you are, I’m doing whatever it takes to help my people- </span>
  <em>
    <span>and</span>
  </em>
  <span> myself.” His brow furrows. “If you won’t do what I say, then I’ll have to make you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Etherians get into fighting stances, except for the amnesed woman. Adam scoffs at them, before pulling out a sword that looks vaguely like the Sword of Protection did.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman beside Finn puts her hands to the sides of her head while grunting, starting to remember her past.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam raises his sword, and shouts, “</span>
  <em>
    <span>By the power of Greyskull!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> before transforming into a much taller, buffer man with less clothing covering his torso than Bow wears.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What- who </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> you?” Adora asks him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I am He-Man, master of the universe. I am the strongest being in existence.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Catra replies sarcastically. “Then where were you when Horde Prime was trying to take over the universe?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Protecting my people, or waiting for the perfect moment in time, if it ever came. Multiple He-Mans before me had tried, and failed, to defeat Horde Prime,” He-Man replies. “Only the Heart of Etheria has the power to truly defeat him.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman is still holding her head, and she begins shaking now. Adora looks over at her in concern, unsure as to what’s happening.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- </span>
  <em>
    <span>ah!</span>
  </em>
  <span> I’m- am I?” the woman starts saying, drawing the attention of everyone, including Adam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s going on?” He-Man asks. The woman continues struggling against herself.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She stops suddenly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I remember who I am,” she says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Etherians, with the exception of Huntara, gasp. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You do?!” Finn shouts, clearly excited about whatever this revelation is.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The woman nods. She bows her head, hair flowing around all sides of her head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“My name is Mara Korris-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She looks up. Her eyes are glowing blue, and she holds her hand out as if reaching for something. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I fight-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Soft, yellow streaks of magic glow across the palm of her hand.</span>
</p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>For the honor of Greyskull!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Well, did you see that coming? The story is titled "Reflections" after all.<br/>Another more obscure Misterwives reference, this one is to a song titled 'Band Camp' from their second album Connect the Dots, and it will be the first of many from said album.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0007"><h2>7. Can't Change the Storm</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The woman remembers who she is- and it causes a lot of interesting interactions.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>*Insert spider-man pointing meme here*</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You’re-” He-Man drops his transformation, and Adam stumbles over his words. “You’re </span>
  <em>
    <span>She-Ra</span>
  </em>
  <span>!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But- but how?” Adora wonders aloud.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So Shadow Weaver </span>
  <em>
    <span>wasn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>lying when she said something about you being dead?” Finn asks Mara, drawing confused looks from everyone else around them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I guess not,” Mara answers, still transformed as She-Ra. “I guess that’s why I didn’t know of a centuries-old desert but knew about She-Ra anyways.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That must’ve been what Shadow Weaver was draining the power of the moons for!” Glimmer shouts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And that must be why she recognized Darla!” Entrapta blurts out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah, about that, why </span>
  <em>
    <span>did </span>
  </em>
  <span>you name my ship Darla?” Mara asks her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It just felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>right</span>
  </em>
  <span>,” Entrapta responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay can we please get back to whatever was happening?” Adam yells.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Etherians all look at him, disappointed by his interruption of this shocking revelation.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, I guess,” Catra says. “Just know that now there is no </span>
  <em>
    <span>chance</span>
  </em>
  <span> you’ll win,” she continues smugly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll take my chances against someone who has just been resurrected from being dead for a thousand years,” is his equally cocky response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh yeah?” Adora says while smirking. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“For the honor of Greyskull!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wh- Two?” Adam says, now looking at not one, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>two</span>
  </em>
  <span> She-Ras.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wow, two She-Ras and Double Trouble isn’t even here,” Catra jokes while Adam is still frozen in disbelief.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow knocks an arrow, aiming directly at Adam. He fires, much to the dismay of Adam and Mara, but before it reaches him, it explodes into a net, ensnaring him within it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Y’know, the trick arrows </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> get old,” Bow says. “Anyways, we should take him back to Brightmoon. Entrapta, if you want to stay here you can do what you want with his ship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Really?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” she exclaims, eyes glowing in excitement for some First Ones tech that is newer than a millennium old.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“There’s a lot I remember now,” Mara says as they go to board Darla- which is </span>
  <em>
    <span>technically</span>
  </em>
  <span> her ship. “I can explain some of it on the way back to Brightmoon.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>Once the ship takes off for Brightmoon, Mara, Finn, and the best friend squad all sit in a circle on the bridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adora, when you said the facilitator was gone,” Mara starts, “did you mean- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Lighthope</span>
  </em>
  <span>?” Adora nods, and Mara’s head slumps. “I was hoping that I would get to see her again,” she says quietly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first time The Heart was activating, I had to break the sword to stop it from firing,” Adora replies. “When I did, Lighthope disappeared, and I haven’t seen her since.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And the Crimson Waste-” Mara continues. “I think </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> created it. I remember my ship crashing after I pulled us into Despondos- which I can see we are no longer in- and then waking up in Shadow Weaver’s cave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That explains why it was at the exact center of the Crimson Waste when we first found it,” Glimmer responds. “And that must be the big explosion you were talking about.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess so.” She pauses for a second. “Adora, my- </span>
  <em>
    <span>our-</span>
  </em>
  <span> people chose me to be She-Ra. I knew so many of them, but it seemed like you didn’t even know any existed. How?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I didn’t know anything about my past for most of my life. I didn’t even know I was a First One until, like, a year and a half after I first found the sword,” Adora responds. “I knew it was a First Ones artifact, but still, I didn’t think that me being able to use it meant that I was one.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Really?</span>
  </em>
  <span>” Mara asks her. “You must’ve known at least one or two, surely your parents knew something, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora stops for a second. “I never met my parents,” she says softly. “I was pulled to Etheria through a portal as a baby by Lighthope, and I grew up in the Horde.” Mara gasps. “That’s why I knew so much about Shadow Weaver, she basically raised me and Catra.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So you had no idea about Eternia, about She-Ra, about </span>
  <em>
    <span>any</span>
  </em>
  <span> of it until you found the sword?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nope,” Adora answers. “One thing that’s weird is that Adam’s sword looks a lot like the Sword of Protection did.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group nods in agreement- well, except for Finn, who never got to see it while it was still intact.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe Adam will know something,” Adora mentions. “I’m going to go see if he does.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going,” Catra says. Adora glances at her, surprised. “I’m not letting you go alone, dummy.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora and Catra start walking to the brig, although the last time it was used to keep someone there was after Adora rescued Catra from Prime’s ship. When they walk in, Adam is sitting there silently. He looks at them, pain in his eyes even though he doesn’t much care for what he’s doing.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want?” he asks angrily.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I wanted to know something about your people,” Adora responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you want to know?” Adam replies. “They colonized like half the galaxy and then Horde Prime wiped out most of us. Now with Prime gone, they’re all like, ‘let’s take everything over again’ even though I don’t think we should do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So even though you’re He-Man, who’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>supposedly</span>
  </em>
  <span> as strong as She-Ra, you don’t even get a </span>
  <em>
    <span>say</span>
  </em>
  <span> in it?” Catra asks him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He shakes his head. “They’re leeches. If they let me make choices then they wouldn’t have had any power over me. So often I wanted to tell them I wasn’t their property.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Was there, like, some sort of training for you when you became He-Man?” Adora asks him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, there was a sorceress that was able to make all sorts of illusions to help me train. She said there was someone similar for She-Ra, too, before Etheria disappeared.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Did </span>
  <em>
    <span>she </span>
  </em>
  <span>tell you anything about She-Ra?” Adora asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Something about She-Ra and He-Man being ‘opposite sides of a coin’, whatever that means,” he scoffs.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you know about the lore of He-Man? Because I know a lot about She-Ra, maybe we can figure out what they meant if we work together,” Adora suggests.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He-Man was meant to be a healer with the capability to resurrect the dead, believe it or not, but the public announcements about him claimed he would be a powerful weapon. But all of He-Man’s strength comes from power, and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>certainly</span>
  </em>
  <span> can’t heal anything like that,” Adam answers. “What about She-Ra?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She really was the opposite,” Adora responds quietly. “She-Ra was meant to be the key to a super weapon- The Heart of Etheria- but everyone thought she was just some magical, super-powerful healer. Although I’m not afraid to fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Every time I did more for them, they said they would tell me about who I was once we were done,” Adam adds. “But we were </span>
  <em>
    <span>never</span>
  </em>
  <span> done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra continues her questioning. “What were they going to tell you?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What happened to my sister,” Adam answers. “I was born with a twin sister, but she disappeared when we were just babies. They would always say they knew what happened to her, but I doubt it. The one thing they were willing to give me to trust them- to keep me interested- was that she was definitely alive, and </span>
  <em>
    <span>very</span>
  </em>
  <span> important. Like, as important as He-Man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The three of them sit quietly while they think.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh!” Adam exclaims as his face lights up, clearly remembering something else. “While the </span>
  <em>
    <span>official</span>
  </em>
  <span> title is ‘He-Man, Master of the Universe’, there was something about him also being a prince, which I’m not. Any ideas as to that?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora and Catra stand there in awe. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If He-Man was a prince of the Eternians,” Adora says, “and She-Ra is the Princess of Power-” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra cuts her off before she can finish.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then He-Man and She-Ra are siblings,” she says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>Adora</span>
  </em>
  <span> is your sister.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This song is another older one, 'Hurricane' which (much like may of the other songs) absolutely slaps.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0008"><h2>8. My Brother</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The best friend squad, and their additional teammates, split up to learn more about the new threat facing Etheria.</p>
          </blockquote><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>Hey guys, sorry about it taking so long since the last chapter. I decided to take a brief break but then with personal things happening it ended up being much longer than I meant for it to be! I'm going to do my best to get back to the Sunday/Thursday release schedule that I had, but that could get messed up.<br/>Thanks to those of you who stuck with this while I was gone for so long!</p></blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“</span>
  <em>
    <span>What?!</span>
  </em>
  <span>” the four people who weren’t present for the questioning shout in unison.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, we’re not 100% sure, but everything adds up,” Adora says. “We’re about the same age, She-Ra is a princess and He-Man a prince, it all lines up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So, what, do we just let him go?” Glimmer asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we can talk to him,” Catra answers. “He did </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> seem to like the rest of the Eternians.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me about it,” Mara mumbles. “I’m willing to listen to what he has to say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m willing to talk to him on one condition,” Bow says. “I want Glimmer to use a truth spell, so we </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> he’s not lying to us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can do that,” Glimmer replies. “Are we going to do it now or when we get to Brightmoon?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well we don’t really have anywhere to put him in Brightmoon, so we should start now,” Adora responds. “But if we aren’t done when we get there, we’ll re-evaluate.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group stands up, but before they start walking towards the brig, Catra stops them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we all try to squeeze in there,” she starts, “then it will be </span>
  <em>
    <span>way</span>
  </em>
  <span> too cramped. Let’s just bring him here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The others exchange a few glances, contemplating whether or not to follow Catra’s suggestion. Adora breaks the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll go get him,” she sighs, as she leaves the bridge.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She returns a couple of minutes later, Adam a half step behind her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What, you’re just letting me go?” he asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, we just didn’t want to all force ourselves into the brig,” Catra answers. “Go ahead, Sparkles.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer begins to draw a rune in the air in front of her. It’s one she’s done a thousand times, but she still draws it carefully, making sure she does it just right. When she’s finished, she pushes it over Adam, compelling him to only speak the truth.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was a truth spell,” she tells him, “if you try to lie, it will hurt you, so don’t even bother.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do the rest of the Eternians want?” Mara asks him sharply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They want to control the galaxy and I think reuse the Heart of Etheria,” Adam answers. “I don’t think they should, but they were hiding whatever information they could from me to control me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That sounds about right,” Mara says pointedly. “What information were they hiding? Just their plans, or was there more to it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They told me that we needed to rule the ‘lesser beings’ of the galaxy, whatever </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> means. I’m pretty sure it just meant anyone who wasn’t one of us, though.” He looks at the people around him, before saying, “So, all of you except Mara and Adora.” He pauses. “And </span>
  <em>
    <span>maybe </span>
  </em>
  <span>you,” he says pointing at Finn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The questioning continues until they reach Brightmoon, the Etherians trying to get as much information on Adam and the Eternians’ plans.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“I- I know you don’t trust me,” Adam says once they land in Brightmoon. “But, </span>
  <em>
    <span>please</span>
  </em>
  <span>, I want to go. I want to ask the Queen if she knows anything- if you’re right, Adora.” He pauses, trying to make his captors listen to his pleas of freedom. “I’ll do everything I can to stop them from attacking you, and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> tell them about She-Ra- either of them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Best Friend Squad looks at each other, leaving out Mara and Finn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll take you to somewhere you can meet with them, but we are </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> giving you your ship back- yet,” Glimmer finally says, the distrust dripping in her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see this through,” Adora says, as she looks at Finn and Mara, then gives them something to do. “You two could probably see if Bow’s dads know anything. I doubt they would, but you never know what that library holds.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I should probably go, too,” Bow sighs. “It’s been a while since I’ve been to the library and I’m sure they’d be upset if I send people there and </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> join them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The groups nod, Glimmer, Adora, Catra, and Adam setting out for, well, somewhere that they haven’t decided on yet, but probably just back to the Crimson Waste. Bow, Mara, and Finn all start walking into the Whispering Woods, beginning their search for the Library.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The three of them wander the Whispering Woods, wondering where to find this supposedly wonderful library.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Bow, you know I’ve only ever been there after having Swiftwind fly me,” Finn groans as they continue their fruitless search. “And Mara has never even been there. Isn’t there some way to find it easier?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually, there is, I think,” he responds, although Finn and Mara can tell he’s unsure. “My dads always said something like, ‘let love guide you home’, which has helped a little bit in the past, surprisingly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>After following Bow's dads' advice, the three find the library, still covered in the same usual greenery it is. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they enter, Mara gawks at the expanse of the collection. Bookshelves lined the walls, and artifacts were strewn across the giant main room. Mara caught a glimpse of a runestone shard, and- wait, is that </span>
  <em>
    <span>her</span>
  </em>
  <span> on a vase?</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A man greets the group while Mara continues to look at the impressively large library.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Bow!" the man says as he looks at Bow. "It's so good to see you!" he continues before hugging the King.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Good to see you, too, Tome," Bow replies. He turns to Finn and Mara, and tells them, "this is my brother, Tome. He's going to be running the library once our dads retire." He turns to his brother, and says, "Speaking of them, where are they?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"They said something about meeting with Micah so they're in Brightmoon," Tome answers. "I'm surprised you didn't see them on your way here. Also, you haven't introduced me to your friends."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, we did get a little lost,” Finn mumbles in response.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"This is Finn," Bow says gesturing towards the magicat, "they're Adora and Catra's kid." He then turns his focus to Mara. "And this is Mara."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"We're here to look for anything on the First Ones," Mara asks the man as she suddenly realizes that she’s been forced into the conversation. "Do you have anything?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Do we have anything?" Tome replies facetiously before continuing. "Of course we do, looking for anything in particular?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Something to do with The Heart," Mara responds, "or about the First Ones' plans."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Hmm, well I can't read their writing, but I can find as much as I can to give to you. I'd assume Adora would teach her child how to read it, so should I give it to you?" he asks Finn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Me or Mara," they answer. "We can both read it."</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Alright, well I'll get on it!" he shouts with an enthusiasm that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>clearly</span>
  </em>
  <span> learned from Lance. "Bow, can you help me look through stuff?"</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"Sure," the younger of the brothers replies. The two of them find anything and everything they can, giving it to Mara and Finn to decipher.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Aaaaaaand we're back to chapters where the chapter title is just the song title. Honestly, this is one of my least favorite Misterwives songs, but it fit the chapter too perfectly to not use.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0009"><h2>9. Bottle Up This Feeling</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Finn, Mara, and Bow continue their research, while Adam meets with Eternia's Queen.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“You three should stay back,” Adam says to the Etherians once they arrive at the edge of the Crimson Waste. “I doubt it, but they </span>
  <em>
    <span>might </span>
  </em>
  <span>want to attack you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s a good thing we so abruptly go from forest to desert here,” Catra snarkily replies. “We’re going to be watching you, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra, Glimmer, and Adora hide behind a tree right at the edge of the forest they’re near, and Melog cloaks them to ensure they're hidden.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A ship, similar to the one Adam piloted to Etheria, lands nearby, although this one is well over double the size. Three people step off once the door opens, a woman wearing a light purple robe, flanked on either side by men wearing armor, the color of which matches the hilt of Adam’s sword.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your majesty, I have much to discuss on the state of Etheria,” Adam says, kneeling as he does so.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, Adam, then we should go on board to… </span>
  <em>
    <span>discuss,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Queen responds. “We’re not sure what the creatures of this planet might be doing right now. And you </span>
  <em>
    <span>know</span>
  </em>
  <span> I can’t stand such uncivilized… </span>
  <em>
    <span>things.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Her insults towards the Etherians send a shiver down Glimmer’s spine. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Woah slow down,” Adam says defensively. “First I just want you to tell me more about my sister.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you really think </span>
  <em>
    <span>you </span>
  </em>
  <span>are in a position to make demands?” she replies with a chuckle. “However, I’ll tell you a little more- your trust </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> important to me- and all of our people, after all. What specifically do you want to know?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Her name,” Adam answers, intent to know if Adora is actually his sister.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Her name was Adora.” Adam hides his surprise, but the Etherians in the woods are shocked, even though they all knew that it was likely the case. “However, we aren’t actually sure where she is.” She glares at Adam, an intense gaze that he has felt </span>
  <em>
    <span>many</span>
  </em>
  <span> times before. “Now, Adam, you will come with me and we will discuss your discoveries.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He follows the Queen into her ship, doing his best to follow her orders, despite how much he doesn’t want to.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Wait, I think I’ve found something!” Finn exclaims while holding a scroll, drawing the eyes of Mara. “Oh, it’s not about the Heart or the Eternians. But it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> about She-Ra, so it’s still worth checking.” Mara goes back to looking through the other texts, searching for anything else to help.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn reads well into the scroll, before finding something interesting.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>While She-Ra doesn’t have a surname of her own, it is tradition for her adopted surname to be related to the previous She-Ra’s name.</span>
  </em>
  <span> Finn looks puzzled as they continue reading. </span>
  <em>
    <span>She-Ra is chosen at her birth, and her family often changes their surname, continuing this tradition. The current She-Ra, Sierra, has an adopted surname of Lauris, being taken from her predecessor Laura.</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Weird!” they whisper to themself, before turning to Mara and asking her about it. “Hey, Mara, do you know where your last name comes from?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mara shakes her head. “No, it’s just the last name of my parents. They didn’t tell me much about where it came from though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When did you get chosen to be She-Ra?” Finn inquires, confusing Mara as to where this conversation is going.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I found out when I turned 18,” she answers, “but I was chosen at birth, I think.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, that lines up with what I just read,” Finn responds enthusiastically. “And it says that typically the family of a baby She-Ra changes their name to honor the previous She-Ra, which means that the She-Ra </span>
  <em>
    <span>before</span>
  </em>
  <span> you was named Korra!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Mara asks. “I had no idea. I knew that the She-Ra before me was named Korra, but I didn’t know she was the reason my last name was Korris.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two of them stop for a minute, before Bow comes up to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s starting to get late, do you want to go back to Brightmoon?” he asks them. “We can always come back tomorrow.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mara and Finn look at each other, and then both shrug simultaneously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah, sure,” Finn says as they stand up. “I’m gonna take this scroll with me though, alright?” they ask Bow, even though he’s not the one who’s running the library.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sure, because I’m </span>
  <em>
    <span>totally</span>
  </em>
  <span> in charge here,” he snarks back to them. “Come on, let’s get going.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>The three head back to the Castle, where Finn waits for their moms. When they arrive with Glimmer but not Adam, they ask about it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He’s talking to the Queen,” Adora answers. “But she said his sister was named Adora, so we’re almost certain it’s me. Adam also said something about wanting to stay for a little bit longer. Did you find anything in the library?”</span>
</p><p><span>“Nothing really helpful,” Finn says. “But we did find a little bit about the First Ones traditions, which I think is interesting.”</span><span><br/>
</span> <span>“Well based on how the Queen treated Adam, a strong knowledge of the Eternians could be important for stopping them from doing whatever it is they’re planning,” Catra says.</span></p><p>
  <span>“Do you three want me to take you to your house?” Glimmer asks them. They agree, and Glimmer teleports them to their house. “Good night,” she says, before teleporting back to the castle.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess we’re just going to wait until Adam tells us something,” Adora says as they go inside for the night. “Until then, I think we’re going to be able to relax tomorrow, instead of dealing with all of this new craziness.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This one is 'Love me True' off the new album, another banger to be honest.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0010"><h2>10. Alone</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“I think I’ve gained the trust of some of the local leaders, your majesty,” Adam says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Good,” she responds. “Do they know what happened to the Heart?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They said it was dangerous and they freed the magic,” Adam answers. “I’m not sure if that’s really the case, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is not supposed to be possible,” the Queen responds. “The failsafe was meant to be a ruse, impossible to survive and truly release the magic. That means we are able to use it to…” she pauses, before saying in a threatening voice, </span>
  <em>
    <span>“keep them in line.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam shudders, the Queen’s suggestion echoing in his head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“With all due respect, your majesty,” he starts to say. “They are still </span>
  <em>
    <span>people</span>
  </em>
  <span>. We can govern without threatening the use of force.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It is not </span>
  <em>
    <span>your</span>
  </em>
  <span> place to question my judgement, </span>
  <em>
    <span>He-Man,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> she replies. “You will do as I say, or you will suffer the consequences. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Do you understand?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, your majesty.” He pauses briefly, before continuing. “However, I think I should mention that part of the planet was controlled by a faction of The Horde for almost 50 years. The war only ended recently, so there are still plenty of people who have combat experience, and many of the Etherians have magical powers. An invasion would likely not be a good idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, well I will certainly take that into account when we make our plans,” She responds. “Now, I want you to continue to earn their trust, and report back to me. I want to get Etheria back under our control as soon as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, your majesty.” He turns to walk away before turning back to the Queen. “One more thing, they have She-Ra on their side.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then we will find the balancer first.”</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“Adam!” Adora says when he returns to Brightmoon a couple days after he left. “What does the Queen want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighs. “She wants to regain control of the planet, but </span>
  <em>
    <span>clearly</span>
  </em>
  <span> I can’t make suggestions for what we should do.” His eyebrows raise, his face softens. “Is it… </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span> that I want to see her crying?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“From what we saw of her, I certainly don’t blame you,” Catra responds. “How does she want to take control of Etheria?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I-” he pauses, debating which side of the incoming conflict he wants to be on. “I can’t tell you. Not yet, at least.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra looks at Glimmer, who nods before stepping closer to Adam. She begins to draw a magical rune in the air, the same truth spell she used during the first interrogation. As she pushes it over Adam, he winces, as if expecting it to be some sort of attack and not the same spell he had previously experienced.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Why don’t you tell us now?” Glimmer asks him smugly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She- she wants to invade the planet.” The Etherians gasp in shock. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>tried </span>
  </em>
  <span>to tell her it was a bad idea, but she seems set on it, and once she makes up her mind, there’s no changing it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then </span>
  <em>
    <span>why</span>
  </em>
  <span> are you back here?” Glimmer asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The Queen wants me to gain your trust, and to report anything I learn to her,” Adam answers. “I don’t want to, but I’m terrified of what will happen if I disobey her orders.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Then leave,” Adora says firmly. “I don’t care </span>
  <em>
    <span>who</span>
  </em>
  <span> you are, if you are going to attack Etheria, then we will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> grant you safe haven. Not in Brightmoon or any of the other Kingdoms.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He lets out a saddened breath. “Okay,” he responds, his voice barely louder than a whisper. He gets up, turns to the door, and walks out.</span>
</p>
<hr/><p>
  <span>“You’re back soon,” the Queen says to Adam when he arrives at her ship. “What information do you bring me?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighs, before answering softly. “I have nothing of use, your majesty.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> the Queen shouts. “How </span>
  <em>
    <span>dare</span>
  </em>
  <span> you return to me with nothing!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m sorry, your majesty,” he replies. “I tried to hide it, but they used a truth spell. I was unable to keep the secret hidden from them.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Guard, seize his weapon,” the Queen orders while looking at the royal guard on her left. “You will no longer be given the power of He-Man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The guard brings the sword to her, and she points it at Adam. He begins hyperventilating, all he has worked for gone in an instant. The Queen walks over to a panel at the side of the room. When she opens it, a perfectly shaped indentation is there, and she places the sword in it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you know what trouble you have caused us?” she asks him. “You will be sent to the front lines during the invasion, one of many pawns we need to win this war.” Her eyes narrow as she glares at him. “Should you prove yourself loyal, and of course </span>
  <em>
    <span>survive,</span>
  </em>
  <span> then I will reconsider this decision. But for now, you are </span>
  <em>
    <span>worthless</span>
  </em>
  <span> to me.” She straightens her back from the intimidating stance she had taken, and then continues in a much calmer voice. “You will take your ship and rejoin the fleet. There, you will be trained for how to fight as a </span>
  <em>
    <span>normal</span>
  </em>
  <span> soldier.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yes, your majesty,” Adam, no longer He-Man, responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you even so much as want to be alive after we invade Etheria, you must give me </span>
  <em>
    <span>far</span>
  </em>
  <span> more than an empty shell like I expect of you,” the Queen shoots. “You are dismissed. Should you learn anything helpful, you can report it to the fleet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He starts crying as he leaves the ship. He walks well into the forest that’s nearby, before he allows himself to begin sobbing uncontrollably. After what feels like a whole day, he stops.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m done with crying,” he mutters to himself. “I’m going to stop her.” He thinks back to his last interaction with the Etherians. “Even if I have to do it alone.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Forgot to mention this, but I'm switching to a Tuesday/Saturday release schedule. That being said, I hope you enjoyed today's chapter! It's probably the most obvious song reference in the entire work, since it has many exact quotes from the song, which happens to be another one which is also the chapter title.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0011"><h2>11. Carry Me On</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The Best Friend Squad and their two new additions begin their search for the now-defunct warrior of the Eternians.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Alright,” Bow says to the now 5 others in the group. “All we have left is to tell Perfuma about him, and then we can start searching on our own.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, that’s only 4 kingdoms though,” Mara says quizzically. “Brightmoon, Salineas, the Kingdom of Snows, and Plumeria. Aren’t there five?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Sort of,” Glimmer answers. “Plumeria and the Scorpion Kingdom have merged, since Perfuma is married to the Queen of it, Scorpia. Once we tell Perfuma, she’ll tell Scorpia about it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Mara replies, still slightly confused. “Are we going to teleport there?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s not very far, and much like with Shadow Weaver, I expect him to hide in the Whispering Woods to try to spy on us more,” Adora says. “I shouldn’t have trusted him,” she continues, tears welling up in her eyes adding to the regret in her voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, Adora, it’s gonna be okay,” Catra assures her. “We’ll get through this. We always have. Remember? We have each other.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Adora says, trying to assure herself now. “Let’s start walking to Plumeria, I want to tell Perfuma as soon as we can.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They set out, the trek rather uneventful for most of it. As they start to near Plumeria, a man with a dark blue jacket and tight, black pants jumps out of the bushes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Stay back!” he shouts at them. He is definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> a Plumerian. “You can’t allow the Eternians to attack,” he says once he realizes who he’s talking to. “And the one that you’ve been keeping in Brightmoon needs to be locked away for life.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, it’s a bit late for that,” Catra replies. “But we will </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> let them take over our home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“Your</span>
  </em>
  <span> home,” he corrects her. “Mine has already been destroyed by those- those </span>
  <em>
    <span>monsters.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I’m so sorry,” Adora says. “Who else was able to escape before they- before they destroyed it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No one,” the man answers. “Just me and Xino.” As he finishes his sentence, a large, dark gray wolf appears next to him, with its tail and some tufts of fur by its ears being a translucent orange.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra’s eyes widen in disbelief. “Are you from- </span>
  <em>
    <span>Krytis?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> she asks. The man nods, surprised as to how she knows this, and as he does so Melog uncloaks themself next to Catra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You- you have a Krytisian familiar, too?” the man asks her in response. She nods. “I thought Xino and I were the only two to escape. We went back a couple years later but I saw no signs of anyone. How did you escape?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We found Melog on Krytis,” Catra answers. “We needed a way to get back to Etheria while avoiding Horde Prime, and we happened to stumble upon them. Melog’s been with me ever since.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want to help you stop them,” the man says after a very brief pause.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Best Friend Squad (plus two) look at each other silently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well?” he asks them, even though there was no verbal discussion amongst the others.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know you have a personal vendetta,” Mara says, “and believe me, so do I- we can’t allow you to do this. And there </span>
  <em>
    <span>won’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> be a war.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The man sighs, and agrees, although he doesn’t want to sit back. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Just then, Finn thinks they hear a person walking. They turn to look for them, and makes a silent gesture towards Catra indicating they’re going to follow it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Remembering what happened last time she allowed Finn to wander off in these woods, Catra follows them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So… care to explain where we’re going?” Catra asks her kid.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard someone,” they respond. “And I don’t think it was someone friendly.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two magicats, as well as Melog find a clearing with a man pacing back and forth, mumbling to himself as if he’s gone mad. They step closer, and both recognize him at the same time.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“You,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Catra snarls at him. He turns suddenly to look at his disturbance. Catra and Finn both take up fighting stances, claws at the ready.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait!” he shouts. “I just want to leave! Please, let me go home!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way,” Finn responds. “Either you give up now, or we get </span>
  <em>
    <span>both</span>
  </em>
  <span> She-Ras to take you down.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please, I don’t want to fight!” he cries out. “And it’s not like you need She-Ra to defeat me now, and two is certainly overkill.” Finn and Catra look at him quizzically. “I no longer have the power of He-Man,” he explains. “When I told the Queen what had happened, she cast me out and took the sword. I’m no threat anymore.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The ruckus that the sudden showdown caused attracts the attention of the other Etherians, who gasp when they see Adam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see about </span>
  <em>
    <span>that,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Glimmer says, already halfway through drawing a truth spell. “Why are you still here?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When I returned to the Queen, she told me I was supposed to report to the fleet as an ordinary, front line soldier,” he answers. “But I can’t really rejoin them since I don’t have my ship anymore. I want to stop her, after all she’s done to me- to the rest of the galaxy. I don’t expect you to help, and I don’t expect to survive, but I have to put away those days where her approval is what I chased.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You- you’re an </span>
  <em>
    <span>Eternian!”</span>
  </em>
  <span> the unfamiliar man shouts at him. “You’re the reason my planet is </span>
  <em>
    <span>gone!”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam looks at the man in shock. “I- I never knew what we had done,” he says, pain clearly present in his voice. “If I had, then I would’ve tried to stop it long ago.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“He- I- I guess he’s telling the truth,” Glimmer says. “But that does </span>
  <em>
    <span>not </span>
  </em>
  <span>mean we will let you walk freely.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand,” Adam replies. “Just please, stop her.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shorter chapter today, this is (I think) the shortest of the whole story.<br/>That said, I hope you enjoy it anyways! We're getting into the real meat of the plot now, the next few chapters really build off of each other and I can't wait for what's coming up!<br/>Also, this song is 'Box Around the Sun', yet another older one of Misterwives' older songs!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0012"><h2>12. Running In Place</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Catra has a plan, and Adam has a deep conversation.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“We need to stop them before they attack,” Glimmer says to the newly reformed war council. “They can defeat us in a head-to-head fight, so we can’t let it come to that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to find the Queen and force her to stop,” Catra says. “And I know how to deal with royalty,” she smirks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well do you have a plan yet?” Glimmer asks her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yeah,” Catra replies confidently, “I do.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Please, Adora,” Adam begs. “I want to talk to someone. I feel… betrayed, surely you have </span>
  <em>
    <span>someone</span>
  </em>
  <span> who can help me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora rolls her eyes, and stands in the same place as she contemplates his plea.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe,” she answers, causing Adam to perk up at the new hope. “But you will still be here.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Before he gets a chance to respond, Adora leaves the holding cell, recently vacated by Mara to make room for the Eternian prisoner. She walks to the Council Room, very late to the meeting, but still there, even though she’d prefer not to deal with this.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I need Perfuma,” she says as she enters the room. The flower queen stands up, following Adora.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where are we going?” she asks in her usual cheery voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adam wants therapy for whatever the Queen did to him, so now I guess we’re going to do that,” Adora replies, clearly upset. “But I’m going to be there, I want him to tell us more about the Queen’s plans.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adora, you know that could cause him to close up even more,” Perfuma responds. “If we really want information from him, we have to let him control what he tells us.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sighs, before letting out a defeated, “Alright.” The two enter his room. “Adam, this is Perfuma. She’ll help you deal with whatever issues you have, but to make sure you don’t try anything I’m going to stay in the room. I won’t talk or anything, I’m just here to listen and watch.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two women sit down, Adora in the corner of the room and Perfuma taking a seat on the floor in front of Adam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So,” Perfuma says softly. “Where do you want to start?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, for starters, Queen Maris has always treated me like I was only important to her,” Adam answers. “I don’t want to be anything to her, but it was all I knew, I-” he starts to tear up. I- couldn’t just leave. I knew it was wrong and I stayed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora’s eyes widen, although neither Perfuma nor Adam notices. She thinks back to the war against the Horde, and how Catra was the same way. She knew the Horde was evil, but she just wasn’t able to force herself to leave until Prime showed up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Think about what your time with the Queen was like,” Perfuma tells him. “Think about the goods, think about the bads, think about all of it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s hard to find good memories when I know it was all in search of power and control,” Adam responds. “Even her compliments felt like punches.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“She really took a toll on you, didn’t she?” Perfuma asks him. He nods, and Perfuma continues. “There are plenty of us here who have had to deal with similar authority figures.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam looks up at her, wondering as he asks, “Who?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Catra and Adora are the two I’d point to first,” Perfuma answers. “But Scorpia, Mermista, Micah, </span>
  <em>
    <span>so many</span>
  </em>
  <span> of them had to deal with similar issues.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” he says, drawing a nod from Perfuma before she continues.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Tell me, what do </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> want?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I- I don’t know,” Adam replies, his voice just as unsure as his words. “I always thought being He-Man and serving my people was what I wanted, but now- I have no idea.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora butts in, breaking her promise to stay silent. “I was the same way,” she starts. “I was raised in the Horde, and I thought helping them win the war was what I wanted. But once I saw what was </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> happening, I had to leave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“But I knew and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>didn’t </span>
  </em>
  <span>leave,” he snarls back at her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Catra was the same way,” Adora responds. “And clearly it’s worked out for her.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe for her it did,” Adam says. “But I don’t even trust myself now, and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>certainly</span>
  </em>
  <span> don’t think you should trust me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Recognizing these problems is an important step in growth, Adam,” Perfuma assures him. “Recovery takes time, and effort.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I do anything to help? It’s always made me feel better to help people when I felt like this back home.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We don’t want to push you,” Perfuma answers, “but if you told us what Queen Maris was planning, we’d be more willing to trust you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“All I know is she was readying an invasion,” he replies. “I think the communications she had set up to give orders to the fleet went down a while back though, some sort of interference causing it.” He pauses, before his eyes light up. “The fleet might not know about what happened between me and the Queen. They might still think I’m He-Man and somewhat in charge.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What are you suggesting?” Adora asks him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If we can use the communications interference to our advantage, I </span>
  <em>
    <span>might</span>
  </em>
  <span> be able to convince them to hold back and give you guys extra time,” he answers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll discuss this idea,” Adora says. “In the meantime, you’ll stay here however.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Can we really trust him though?” Glimmer asks. “He’s betrayed us once already.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We could force him to pre-record a message, that way when we get Entrapta to patch the communications he can’t say anything we don’t want him to,” Bow says. “Let me call her,” he continues, pulling out his tracker pad. It lights up, quickly getting Entrapta on the other end of the call. “Hey Entrapta, we need some help to stop the Eternians from invading.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean more than jamming their communications?” she responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you get a signal out from Adam’s ship?” Catra asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I can!” Entrapta answers with her usual enthusiasm. “What do you want me to send?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’re going to have Adam record a message for you to send to them,” Adora replies. “Then, as soon as it’s sent we want to cut off the comms, so they can’t try to ask more.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, then come to the Crimson Waste when you’re ready!” Entrapta shouts before ending the call abruptly.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“So what are we going to have Adam say?” Bow asks the group.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>"I guess we just need to make something up that won't be <em>too</em> suspicious," Adora answers.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Nothing happened last Saturday or Tuesday, I just forgot to post lol.<br/>Anyways, today's song is 'running in place' which is yet another song from SUPERBLOOM. Bonus fact: this song is what pushed me over the edge to  learn how to play piano.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0013"><h2>13. Pain Became Pleasure</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The plan begins, and a familiar face makes an appearance.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“We’ve found a way to get what we need </span>
  <em>
    <span>without</span>
  </em>
  <span> causing a full scale war,” Adam says. “However, we need you to stay away, we’re not sure if the Etherians will attack if they know more of us are coming. There’s been something messing with our communications ever since we arrived, so we might not be able to communicate as well, so we’ll give you updates as often as we can, but don’t expect it to be much.” He sighs, and relaxes. “Was that good?” he asks as he turns to Adora and Glimmer. “It’s like I couldn’t breathe underneath the pressure.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s the same as it was the last hundred times,” Glimmer snarks to him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we’re good, we just need to give the video to Entrapta so she can send it to the fleet,” Adora says.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Once we send it,” Adam starts to say, “What will we do after that? Stopping Queen Maris is going to be harder than just telling the fleet to stay back.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We have a plan,” Glimmer responds, a smirk growing on her face.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can I-” Adam says before Adora cuts him off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No. Just when we get there, play along.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Okay!” Entrapta shouts. “Once Adora and Glimmer bring the video we can send it to the fleet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright, we should figure out how we’re going to convince the Queen to do what we want,” Bow says to Mara and Catra. “When they get here, we’ll send the video and then go back to the Council room in Brightmoon to discuss with everyone.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They wait on Adam’s ship in the Crimson Waste, and after a few hours Darla arrives carrying Glimmer and Adora. They join the crowd on board Adam’s ship as they send the video.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Aaaaand sent!” Entrapta exclaims. “Cutting off communications.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer thanks her, and then says, “I’m not sure what we’d do without you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re welcome! Just let me know if you need anything else, I’m gonna get back to working on this ship.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The best friend squad and Mara- who they’ve decided is essentially the 5th member- all leave the newer ship to go back to Brightmoon. They board Darla and take off, as smooth of a flight as the last time. A few minutes after taking off, however, a voice interrupts them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know, I could probably help with whatever it is you’re doing,” they say, causing everyone to turn around in surprise. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>am</span>
  </em>
  <span> known to mess the system up.” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they do, they all see a tall, green-scaled, humanoid lizard staring at them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Actually Double Trouble,” Catra says to the lizard. “I think we’ll take you up on that offer.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’ve had your fun,” Double Trouble replies, “but it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>my</span>
  </em>
  <span> turn.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>When they arrive at the Castle, Perfuma is the first to greet them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adam said something that I think could be useful, or it’s just nonsense,” she spouts as they all de-board the ship.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well what was it?” Adora asks. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t know, something about ‘balance’ and a third power,” Perfuma answers. “I think you should talk to him, it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>really</span>
  </em>
  <span> confusing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora sighs, and then starts walking to the holding cell. Catra and Mara follow her, and when they enter the room they find Finn waiting there with Adam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finn, what are you doing here?” Catra asks.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Just chilling,” they reply. “I heard there was something that Adam knew that was weird and I wanted to know, but he won’t tell me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Honestly, I think Finn is pretty cool, we’ve been chatting about, well, everything and nothing,” Adam interrupts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What is this thing that Perfuma was confused by that could be helpful?” Adora asks him, getting the conversation back on track.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Before the Queen, y’know, demoted me, she told me that there was a third being of Power,” he responds. The Etherians look at him in confusion, before he clarifies. “Like She-Ra and He-Man.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, really?” Mara asks him. “I didn’t even realize there could be more than one at a time, certainly not three- or four? I guess.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The third being of power is They-Vah, Keeper of Balance,” Adam says. “She said that the Staff of Peace is how they channel their power, but they can use some of it without it, and I don’t think the Queen knows where it is. It </span>
  <em>
    <span>certainly</span>
  </em>
  <span> is not on Eternia, though.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What kind of powers do they have?” Finn asks, drawing a glare from Catra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The powers of both She-Ra and He-Man,” Adam responds. “While most of their powers are the same, She-Ra has stronger healing and He-Man has stronger combat skills. They-Vah has </span>
  <em>
    <span>both.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>The four Etherians look at each other, before Catra breaks the silence.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“That’s</span>
  </em>
  <span> how we make the Queen do what we want.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Sorry I didn't post on Tuesday, I was super busy, I hope you enjoy this chapter a few days late though!<br/>Today's song is 'it's my turn', yet another song from the new album. I think this is also the chapter where I reference the "chapter song" the most.<br/>Next chapter is one of my favorites in the whole story and the song is my favorite song EVER not just by Misterwives, I'll see you on Tuesday!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0014"><h2>14. Let the Light In</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Like mother, like child.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Catra, Finn, and Adora walk back to their house after the long day of planning. When they reach the door, Finn hears a voice from the Whispering Woods.</span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Leave this world behind.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>“What was that?” they ask their confused moms.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh?” Adora replies. “I didn’t hear anything.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know I heard something,” Finn says as they start to scan the area nearby.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You’re imagining things,” Catra tells them. “Come on, let’s go to bed.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, it-” Finn stutters. “It sounds like what we heard when we were looking for Shadow Weaver.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You mean what </span>
  <em>
    <span>you</span>
  </em>
  <span> heard?” Catra asks. “Neither of us heard anything then, and we don’t now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Maybe I just need some sleep,” Finn mutters. “But if I still hear it in the morning I’m going to look for it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh, I guess that’s better than going to find it right now,” Adora says as she shrugs.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The next morning, Adora and Catra wake to find Finn sitting wide awake holding their head.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh, Finn?” Catra says, causing Finn to jump in surprise. “Are you alright?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” they yell back. “I woke up a couple of hours ago and all I’ve heard is the same stupid voice over and over!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay, well I guess we’re going to go find this random voice you keep hearing,” Adora mumbles to Catra. “We should tell Glimmer first so she knows why we aren’t there to help her plan stuff.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra agrees, and the three walk to the Castle. Adora tells Glimmer what had happened the night before, and that they weren’t sure how long they’d be gone.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think you’ll be able to go through with the plan if we’re not back by then,” Catra tells the Queen of Brightmoon.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She nods an affirmative, and Finn, along with their moms, set out into the Whispering Woods.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walk for what feels like hours, travelling in the most indirect way possible to wherever the sound is. Even when Finn thinks they’ve gotten closer, they find themselves back where they’ve already been, the Whispering Woods changing as if to hide the source of the voice.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Ugh, even when we weren’t even looking for it it was easier to find,” Catra complains.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I found it just fine last time,” Finns snarks, “but I guess your old ears couldn’t hear it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey!” Catra shouts at Finn. “I’m not </span>
  <em>
    <span>that</span>
  </em>
  <span> old!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora chuckles, before asking Finn, “You said it was the same noise you heard when we went looking for Shadow Weaver, right?” Finn nods. “Well then we should check the cave she was in.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You don’t think I’ve been trying to go there?” Finn replies with a bit of salt. “It’s like the Woods are trying to protect it.” Finn pauses for a second to think, and a realization dawns on them. “When I found the cave last time, I was looking for it on my own. The Whispering Woods are weird, so do you think it wants </span>
  <em>
    <span>just</span>
  </em>
  <span> me to find it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora and Catra give them a blank stare, and then turn to each other.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I mean, we </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> in the Whispering Woods, so I guess it’s a possibility,” Adora says. “But the Woods haven’t done this to protect, well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>anything</span>
  </em>
  <span> since the war ended.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If it worked last time, I should try it again,” Finn says, causing both Catra and Adora to look at them skeptically. “Please, trust me. I’ll be fine.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The two wives look at each other, before Adora lets out a sigh of surrender.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Fine. But if anything happens you better come back as soon as possible.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn nods, although they know that they probably won’t turn back if trouble arises, and sets off on their own.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Finn’s search for the cave doesn’t last long, as they find it almost as soon as they leave their moms. Their theory that the Woods hid the cave- which they can now tell contains the source of the noises they’d been hearing- appears true, their solo trek working in a way that the group search didn’t.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As they approach the entrance to the cave, the sounds turn into whispers. Finn tries to block out whatever is being said to them, but the voices grow louder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They can make out some of it, but Finn does their best to keep going. When they enter the cave, plants have grown from every surface. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>This world needs to be revived.</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>They look around, trying to find the source of the very vague words, but a gleam of light catches their eye.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn walks over to it, the pole they used to kill Shadow Weaver reflecting light from somewhere, but they can’t figure out where.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn walks in circles around it, trying to see what’s letting the light into the otherwise dark cave. </span>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <em>
    <span>The thing you need…</span>
  </em>
</p><p> </p><p>
  <span>The voice trails off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They reach out towards the pole, not knowing why it feels like it’s calling them to it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their finger touches the top of it, right where the light is coming from, and they instantly collapse to the ground, unsure of what happened.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Shorter chapter but I think the content in it is really good.<br/>Also, I'm going to have the entire story posted by New Years, so I'll be posting a bit more often for the next week or so.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0015"><h2>15. Not Your Way</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Mara makes a decision.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Finn awakens suddenly, hearing voices once again. This time, however, it’s Catra saying their name.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Finn! You’re okay!” their mom says. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What- what happened?” they manage to squeak out.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Whatever was in that cave attacked you I think,” Adora says from behind Catra. “You’re lucky we heard because otherwise I doubt you’d be back here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Nothing attacked me mom,” Finn mumbles, drawing concerned looks from both of their moms. “There was something… glowing. I think it was the staff I killed Shadow Weaver with.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn is startled by their own statement. </span>
  <em>
    <span>Staff? It was just a random piece of metal, why would I call it a staff?</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“What do you mean a staff?” Catra responds. “When we got there, it was just you in the grass outside of the cave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait, </span>
  <em>
    <span>outside?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> they ask drawing nods from both Catra and Adora. “I was definitely </span>
  <em>
    <span>inside </span>
  </em>
  <span>when I passed out.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well then what happened to you?” Adora asks them. “Because apparently you remember it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I walked into the cave, and saw something shine. I walked over to it, and it was the piece of metal that I killed Shadow Weaver with.” They stop, trying to remember if they heard anything else. “I tried to see where the light was coming from, but it didn’t seem like it was coming from anywhere. I think the pole was the thing producing the light.” Finn stops again, this time because they remember very little after that. “I reached out to touch it, and then I was here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What about the voices you heard? Did you find where they were coming from?” Catra inquires.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, I think it was just in my head,” they reply. “But I’m not sure how it sounded like it was coming from the cave. It’s like it was </span>
  <em>
    <span>calling</span>
  </em>
  <span> me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora’s eyes widen for a split second, before continuing to try to get Finn to tell her what happened. “Was there something about wisdom that they were saying? When we found you, you were mumbling the word wisdom over and over again.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh? All I remember hearing was something about what I need, but I don’t know what that is,” Finn answers. “I want to go find the cave again,” they continue, drawing very harsh denial from both Catra and Adora. “I’ll find the cave, then have you come to me, and then you can watch as I look around. That way, if I pass out again, you’ll see what happened.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No way,” Catra says. “Maybe after we deal with the Eternians, but for now, there’s no chance we’re letting you do that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you able to walk?” Adora asks, which Finn nods in response to. “Then we’re going to take you with us to the castle. You can do whatever you want, just </span>
  <em>
    <span>don’t</span>
  </em>
  <span> go back to that cave.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You know that makes me want to do it more, right? Like, I don’t want to obey now.” Finn jokes.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ve made ourselves clear,” Adora says firmly. “This is a rare instance where you don’t have a say.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Come on you two,” Catra tells them. “We should get going. We- well, </span>
  <em>
    <span>you-</span>
  </em>
  <span> don’t want to be late to another meeting, dummy,” she says smugly to Adora.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>When the three of them arrive at the castle, Catra and Adora go into the Council Room, and Finn finds Mara to talk to. After finding her, Finn starts to tell her about what happened.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was like it wanted me to find it,” they say. “Like it was calling me.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The first time I saw the Sword of Protection was the same way, even though I already knew I was supposed to be She-Ra,” Mara replies, before stopping abruptly as a thought dawned on her. “You don’t think…” she trails off.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Huh? What are you talking about?” Finn asks her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I know they said not to, but we’re going to go find the staff. If this works, then they’ll forgive you- and hopefully me- for running off, and if not, then we’ll be back quickly enough that they won’t know,” Mara spurts, before gesturing to the nearest door for them to make their escape.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn looks at her, a smile growing on their face, and follows her. “If I get in trouble,” they say to Mara. “Then this is </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> your fault.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>They find the cave, Finn hearing only soft whispers that they can’t make out. The two of them enter, and Finn notices the pole- or staff, as they’ve been calling it now for some reason- in the same spot of the cave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Look how far we’ve come,” Finn says. “There’s no turning back now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walk over to it, Mara following a few paces behind and watching intently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn reaches out, and pulls the staff out of the ground- and something </span>
  <em>
    <span>else</span>
  </em>
  <span> that it’s stuck in- and turns to Mara.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess we should go back to Brightmoon now,” they suggest. “We can probably ask around to see what everyone thinks it is.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Alright,” Mara responds, and the two set off, returning to Brightmoon, now with the staff that Finn felt was drawing them to it.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This song is 'Not Your Way', forgot to include it but last chapter was 'Let the Light In' which is my favorite song ever.<br/>4 chapters left (sorta, one is an epilogue), so we're almost done!</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0016"><h2>16. Make Yourself Clear</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>Finn gets caught.</p><p>Mara makes a wild claim.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>They sneak back into the castle, unnoticed. Well, not </span>
  <em>
    <span>entirely</span>
  </em>
  <span> unnoticed, but no one mentions anything because they assume that the two hadn’t left.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We should put this somewhere,” Finn says, while holding the staff.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ve got an idea, just follow me,” Mara responds.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>She leads Finn through the castle, and they enter the room where Adam is being kept.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What’s happening?” he asks as the door opens.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need somewhere to put this,” Finn answers, “and I guess Mara thinks this is a good place.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Do you remember anything from when you touched the staff the first time?” Mara asks them. “Like anything weird.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I heard voices as I tried to find it, but that was about it,” Finn replies. “Why?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adam, have you ever heard weird voices calling you to something?” Mara asks him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mara what are you talking about?” Finn interrupts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Only once,” Adam answers. “When I was first chosen to be He-Man, the Sword called me to it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I had the same thing happen to me when I was chosen to be She-Ra,” Mara responds, and then turns to look at Finn. “I think this is the same thing.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“What?” Finn asks, clearly confused as to what is happening. “I don’t know what you’re talking about!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door swings open.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“When we said you could do anything as long as it wasn’t trying to find the cave, I didn’t think you’d be here,” Catra says, surprising the three who were already in the room.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom!” Finn shouts in surprise. “Okay I’m done with whatever </span>
  <em>
    <span>this</span>
  </em>
  <span> is,” they say gesturing at the two others in the room. “Can we go home?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“After you and Mara explain why you did the one thing we told you not to do,” Catra responds. “What, did you think I wouldn’t notice?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was my idea, Catra,” Mara tells her. “I- I thought that the cave would have something we need to take down the Queen, and I suggested Finn join me, since they’ve been able to find the cave easily in the past.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Is that why Finn is holding a staff with a glowing gem in the head of it?” Catra asks her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Mom, this is the staff that I told you I found in the cave this morning,” Finn says. “I </span>
  <em>
    <span>told</span>
  </em>
  <span> you I hadn’t made it up.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Okay well why did you think it was so important for you to go back to it after, </span>
  <em>
    <span>whatever</span>
  </em>
  <span> it was, that happened last time?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“That was also my idea,” Mara interrupts. “You see, Finn told me that they thought it was calling to them, and I </span>
  <em>
    <span>think</span>
  </em>
  <span> there’s a reason.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Uh-huh, and that reason was what exactly?” Catra asks her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m not completely sure, but I think that this-” Mara gestures to the staff. “Is the Staff of Peace. I think </span>
  <em>
    <span>Finn</span>
  </em>
  <span> is They-Vah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“What?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> the others in the room exclaim.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Explain this to me,” Catra says. “Because that doesn’t sound quite right.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Everything you said,” Mara says to Adam, “lines up with it.” She looks back to Catra. “Think about it, if you need a third for He-Man and She-Ra, it shouldn’t be a man or woman. Finn fits that. And He-Man and She-Ra are related, so it would only make sense that They-Vah is, too. All that I don’t have is what Finn would have to say to become They-Vah. For She-Ra, it’s ‘For the honor of Greyskull’, for He-Man it’s ‘By the power of Greyskull’. They-In must have something else that’s like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wisdom,” Catra replies confidently. “When Finn was unconscious, they kept muttering something about wisdom. That must be it.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I don’t think I’m They-Vah!” Finn shouts. “It makes sense, but I just- I don’t think it’s </span>
  <em>
    <span>me.</span>
  </em>
  <span> I need some clarity,” they mumble.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I was never able to become She-Ra when I doubted myself,” Mara says. “And I bet the same goes for Adam, and Adora. Those words are hardest to say when you don’t see yourself that way.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We still don’t even know how I </span>
  <em>
    <span>would</span>
  </em>
  <span> become They-Vah!” Finn replies, the suggestion still causing conflict within their mind.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voices start to creep into Finn’s head again while Mara and Catra discuss They-Vah. Finn doesn’t hear a word they say, instead trying to block out the voices.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>Maybe I should listen to the voices,</span>
  </em>
  <span> they think, trying to gain some clarity on They-Vah, if they are able to.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opens again, this time with Adora entering. She says something to Catra, but Finn doesn’t doesn’t hear it. The conversation continues, but Finn only hears sound- no words, just a jumble of noises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opens, and Adora, Catra, and Mara all start to leave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you coming with us?” Adora asks Finn, but Finn only hears pieces of it.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn pauses, and tries to listen to the voices, but they’re unintelligible. All they hear is mumbles, and then a brief pause as Adora says “with us,” although it’s somewhat muffled, before more garbled noises.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They start to follow, still carrying the staff. They’re only able to make out a few words here and there from the conversation going on around them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They can’t tell what words they are at first, but then they notice a few. Finn hears the word “wisdom” in the conversation, one of just a couple of words they’ve made out since the voices started a few minutes ago. They try to piece the words together, remembering just the words “with” and “wisdom”.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn stops walking, drawing the attention of the others. Adora says something but Finn is still unable to make out any words.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They hold the staff out in front of them, gemstone pointed towards the ceiling.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn takes a deep breath, and their moms and Mara watch.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The voices in Finn’s head stop, and as if possessed Finn opens their mouth to speak.</span>
</p><p>
  <em>
    <span>“With the wisdom of Greyskull!”</span>
  </em>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Back to back days? Shocking, I know.<br/>This song is 'Out of Tune Piano', probably the most subtle song references since the first half of the story.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0017"><h2>17. New Beginnings</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_head_notes"><b>Summary for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
            <p>The plan begins.</p>
          </blockquote></div><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>Suddenly, the halls of Brightmoon Castle are filled with a glow of light. When it dies down, They-Vah is standing where Finn had been moments before.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They-Vah </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>Finn, but the two look very different. For starters, They-Vah is the size of She-Ra, not Finn. Their hair is longer than Finn’s, but the same bleached blond color. It falls over one side of their head, going well past their shoulder on that side.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Additionally, Finn’s eyes are typically a soft blue, but They-Vah’s eyes are glowing, a much brighter blue than even She-Ra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They-Vah holds the staff- which Mara was correct about - it </span>
  <em>
    <span>is </span>
  </em>
  <span>the Staff of Peace. It appears to have grown with Finn, as it’s now as tall as Adora instead of the mid-chest height it had hit previously.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora, Catra, and Mara stare at They-Vah, jaws dropped in awe. They look back at the others, now a couple feet shorter than them, and gasp in shock.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>As quickly as They-Vah had arrived, they vanish again, leaving a panting Finn in their place who falls to the floor.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I knew it!” Mara shouts.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn looks up, still gasping for air. “Okay, that was </span>
  <em>
    <span>really </span>
  </em>
  <span>hard to do. But yeah, Mara was right. I guess it’s my duty to keep balance now or something like that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora walks over and helps Finn stand up. They grab the Staff as they stand, using it as a cane just as they did the first time they held it in the cave.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well I guess we have one more piece to take down the Queen,” Catra says. “We’ve got a lot of road up ahead now.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Alright, I think I get it,” Finn says after Catra explains the plan. “So I should go back to the cave?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I think we all do, now,” Mara replies. “How do we know Adam will </span>
  <em>
    <span>actually</span>
  </em>
  <span> do what we want though?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra smirks as she answers. “We’ve got our ways to ensure that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The four of us are going to go now,” Adora tells them. “Everyone else will be there a bit later, when we give them the signal. And as Catra said, we have our methods to deal with Adam.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The four walk to the cave, which is much easier to find now that it’s not protecting the Staff. They walk in, and find a small alcove to the side to hide in.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We just wait now,” Adora whispers. “But make sure to look, this time we need to be ready.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Queen Maris!” Adam shouts as he barges into her ship. “I know I was supposed to go back to the fleet, but my ship was taken. So I looked for it, and I found something I think you want to see.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And </span>
  <em>
    <span>why </span>
  </em>
  <span>couldn’t you send a message?” the Queen replies. “Or was your short-range communicator taken along with your ship?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It was,” he answers. “I think the Etherians found the same thing I did, so we need to be prepared for a fight.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And I suppose that means you want the Sword of Power back?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If you believe I am worthy again, your majesty.” He kneels, and bows his head, waiting for her verdict.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Very well,” she responds. She walks over to the wall, and opens the same panel that she had stored the Sword in. It’s still there, and she takes it out of the perfectly shaped indent. The Queen goes to hand it to Adam, but stops right before she does. “Tell me, what is it that you’ve found?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I believe it was the Staff of Peace,” he answers as he lifts his head to look at the Queen. She takes a half-step backwards, and covers her mouth as she gasps in shock. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>She hands Adam the Sword, and then starts to exit the ship. “We must move quickly,” she says. “We have no time to waste.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam takes the lead in front of the Queen and her guards.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>“Okay,” Bow says to the group still in Brightmoon. “Once we get the signal from Catra, Glimmer will take us to the cave. Everyone knows their part, right?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Sea Hawk shouts his typical “Adventure!” while everyone else nods, with the exception of Scorpia who raises a hand- well, a pinser- to ask a question.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Can you explain what we’re going to do again? You know I’m bad at remembering these kinds of things.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer butts in, answering Scorpia’s question. “There are going to be two guards there. You and Perfuma will get one of them, Spinerella, Sea Hawk and Mermista will get the other, and Me, Bow, and Netossa will get Queen Maris. Got it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Yep, I will do the thing that you just told me to do!” Scorpia replies with the same cheery attitude she always carries.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Get ready,” Bow says to them. “This is about to get heavy. Let’s make this be the end.”</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>Technically 2 chapters tomorrow, but one's an epilogue so they sorta work for being at the same time.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0018"><h2>18. Queens</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>“Here it is!” Adam shouts as the Queen and her guards approach the cave with him. “It’s in here.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They walk in, looking for the fabled Staff of Peace, but find very little aside from rocks and dirt.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Where, in here, is it?” the Queen asks him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Right here,” a voice says from the side of the cave. Finn steps into view, holding the Staff confidently.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adam!” the Queen gasps.  “I knew it was a mistake to trust you with the sword!”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>A faint beeping sound is heard coming from the direction Finn appeared from.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Suddenly, a flash of pink light appears behind the Eternians, as a group of Etherians attack.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Their plan goes as planned; Perfuma is able to trap one of the royal guards with plants, and Mermista and Spinerella are able to disarm the other one. Netossa throws a net at the Queen- which, as she has explained many times, is what she does- trapping her to the wall of the cave. She looks in shock at Adam, who starts to walk towards her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your mistake, darling, was believing that Adam still wants to help you,” he says. As he finishes, his body is cloaked in a sheen of black, before revealing a tall, green lizard standing there. “Ta-da!” they shout. “The look of surprise is worth it everytime.”</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Next to the group that had suddenly materialized, Melog uncloaks themself- and Adam.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Your majesty, this is wrong,” he says. “These people do not deserve the pain you would cause them.” Double Trouble hands him the Sword. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are you, </span>
  <em>
    <span>betraying</span>
  </em>
  <span> me?” she asks. “Betraying our people?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, Queen Maris, you are the one who has betrayed our people.” Finn gasps, drawing Adam’s attention. “What is it?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Queen Maris, what are the origins of your name?” they ask, drawing surprised looks from everyone around them- except for Mara, who has walked into the lit up area alongside Adora and Catra.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“It’s a traditional name,” she answers, and continues, “That is all I will tell you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll see about that,” Glimmer says, stepping towards her while drawing a truth spell. She explains it, much as she had to Adam previously. “Care to tell us more, now?”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No!” the Queen shouts, causing her to then scream in pain. “Fine! But I am </span>
  <em>
    <span>not</span>
  </em>
  <span> going to surrender!” She sighs, allowing herself to calm down enough to begin her explanation. “It </span>
  <em>
    <span>is</span>
  </em>
  <span> a traditional name, just not for me. It was for my daughter when she was born, my husband and I changed our name to ‘Maris.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You have a daughter?” Adam asks. “I thought you said that you didn’t have any children.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I did, she was supposed to defeat Horde Prime with the Heart of Etheria,” the queen tells him. “But when the failsafe was used, we think she died- the power of it too much to truly stop.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mara steps up to ask her something. “Tell me about the tradition behind the name ‘Maris.’”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“For many years, when a new She-Ra was born, their family would rename themselves to honor the previous one.” The Queen sighs. “My daughter </span>
  <em>
    <span>happened</span>
  </em>
  <span> to be She-Ra, and the previous She-Ra had been named Mara, so we became the Maris’s.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Well, I can confirm that lore is true- Shadow Weaver, a dark sorcerer, used necromancy to bring me back to life. </span>
  <em>
    <span>I</span>
  </em>
  <span> am Mara.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Queen gasps. “That’s impossible. However, if you </span>
  <em>
    <span>are</span>
  </em>
  <span> telling the truth, it means my daughter is truly dead.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Really?” Finn asks. “What’s your daughter’s name? And while we’re at it, what about your son’s name?” </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The second part of the question surprises the Queen. “How did you know I have a son?” she asks Finn.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Oh, you know, lucky guess,” they reply.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Queen sighs before answering the question. “My daughter’s name was Adora, the most recent She-Ra. And my son-” she starts to cry. “Is Adam.” His jaw drops, and he starts breathing heavily. “I’m sorry I didn’t tell you. To truly unlock your potential as He-Man I couldn’t tell you I was your mother. Your home will be the throne, someday.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora walks up to the queen- who is apparently her mother. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I always wanted to meet my family,” she says. “I was taken as a baby- I never met them. When I heard that many First Ones- or Eternians, as you call yourselves- were coming to Etheria, I hoped my dream would become reality. I grew up without a family; my group in the Horde was the closest thing I had before leaving. Then my family was the princesses, who are all Queens now. I didn’t mind- it’s not like I want power over other people. Even in the toughest of times, we always made it work. But I guess I will join them as such now.” She stares intently at Queen Maris. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“For the honor of Grayskull!”</span>
  </em>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>Queen Maris’ eyes widen at She-Ra who’s now staring her down as if about to kill her.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Adora?” she whispers.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I want you dead for what you’ve done to Etheria, to Adam, to </span>
  <em>
    <span>me,”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Adora sighs. “But knowing you’re my mother, it makes it impossible to do.” She drops her transformation. “Let’s go home. We’ll take her as our prisoner.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Are we really just letting her off like that?” Finn asks angrily. “After everything she’s done? I- I feel </span>
  <em>
    <span>wrong</span>
  </em>
  <span> just allowing her to be now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Catra cuts off her child. “I get what you mean, Finn, but we can’t just destroy everything- or everyone- we hate. You have to stay true to your inner voice.” She quiets down to barely louder than a whisper. “If we did, I wouldn’t be here. So even if you don’t like it we’re taking her back- </span>
  <em>
    <span>alive.”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“No,” a voice calls from the entrance to the cave. Everyone turns to look, finding a man standing there looking incredibly angry. It’s the same man many of them had seen in the Whispering Woods when searching for Adam. His familiar, Xino, is beside him, his tail and ears the deep red of anger. “I can’t let her live, not after what she did to my planet.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I understand your anger-” Adora responds before getting interrupted.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“No, you don’t!” the man yells as tears start to fill his eyes. “Your planet wasn’t wiped out! Your planet still exists! And you’re not the only person from your planet who’s alive!” He runs up to Finn, and grabs their Staff. As he picks it up, he takes the end with the gemstone and points it down at Queen Maris, who’s now been released from Netossa’s net, and is lying face-down on the ground.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Wait stop!” Catra shouts. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>It comes too late though. The man plunges the Staff into the Queen’s back, causing her to shriek in pain. Everyone stares at him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mara looks at the Queen, and then looks up at the man. She gives him a soft nod, but doesn’t move.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Finn looks over in shock, and embraces Catra in a deep hug. They close their eyes, and bury their head in her shoulder.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam laughs nervously, and allows the man to express his rage, as if the man were his own outlet.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora, however, goes to heal the Queen, but gets stopped.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Please!” the man cries out to her. “I heard what she said, what everyone said. I’ll let you go-” he motions towards Adam. “I’ll accept any punishment you give me! But she’s responsible for everything I’ve gone through!” His voice softens. “I just don’t want anyone else to have to deal with that.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adora stops, looking at the man wishing she could fix everything her mother had done.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The Queen looks up at Adora, her life fading. “This- this is the end for me. Goodbye, my children. Please, lift each other up now that I’m gone.” Her head drops back to the floor of the cave.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>This song is, of course, 'Queens'. The epilogue/last chapter is not a single song, like the rest of the chapters, so I'm putting the end of work notes in this chapter so I can properly explain all of the references in its notes.</p><p>Thank you for sticking with me through this, hopefully you've enjoyed it!<br/>Pretty much all of this was written due to boredom, but I also really enjoyed writing it. The concept was really just "what would I want from a She-Ra movie", and even if it's not quite the same, it definitely influenced the structure that I wrote this in.<br/>And again, thank you for reading this! I hope the epilogue wraps it all up, even though the story itself is over here.</p>
        </blockquote></div></div>
<a name="section0019"><h2>19. We Deserve Congratulations</h2></a>
<div class="story"><div class="userstuff module">
    
    <p>
  <span>A few days after the ambush in the cave, they gather to discuss what should be done now. They all take seats in the Council Room around the table. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Glimmer and Bow sit in their ornate chairs, as they are made for the two monarchs. To their right sit Adora and Catra- who now have a few extra seats behind them, for Adam, Mara, and Finn. Past them is Frosta’s empty seat, as she’s busy with internal affairs in the Kingdom of Snows. Then are Spinerella and Netossa, although they will likely be replaced by their children in the next few years. Perfuma and Scorpia are next along the order of the chairs, which they had to fight to be able to sit next to each other. Entrapta’s seat is to their right, but it’s hardly ever occupied due to Entrapta continuing her scientific endeavors instead, much as it is now. Castaspella is in the seat next to where Entrapta would be, and the general of Brightmoon’s defensive force, Juliet, is to her other side. Mermista and Sea Hawk sit beside Juliet, and Huntara is to Sea Hawk’s right. Finishing the circle is Micah, who still helps run Brightmoon even though he has long since given up his title of King.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We need to deal with the fleet that Queen Maris had prepared,” Glimmer says, leading the conversation as she usually does.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They still think I’m her second-in-command,” Adam replies with a sigh. “I’ll rejoin them and we’ll return to Eternia.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“And her guards?” Bow asks him.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“They heard what Queen Maris said in the cave, so they’ll continue as the royal guards-” Adam gulps. “With </span>
  <em>
    <span>me</span>
  </em>
  <span> as the king.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>The door opens, and the Krytisian man, who they now know is named Hunter, walks in quietly. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hunter,” Adam says as he enters. “I want you to help me undo all the damage that my people have caused across the galaxy- well, as much as we can fix.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“You- you want to let me </span>
  <em>
    <span>go?”</span>
  </em>
  <span> Hunter responds. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“And</span>
  </em>
  <span> spend my time working with you? Even after I killed your Queen, your </span>
  <em>
    <span>mother?”</span>
  </em>
</p><p>
  <span>“Consider it your punishment,” is the answer Adam gives him. He looks around the room at the others, assuming one of them will stop it. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>Bow notices his surprise, and tells him, “We’ve all discussed it. We believe that rehabilitation is a better sentence for a crime then strictly punishment, because we know you will get better, and this is a way to do that- for both of you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m going to go with you,” Mara chimes in from beside Adam. “They are my people as well. I wasn’t able to stop them in the past, so I will do everything I can to fix what they’ve done.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“The three of us will take the qu-” Adam stops mid-sentence as he realizes the inaccuracy in his statement. </span>
  <em>
    <span>“My-</span>
  </em>
  <span> guards back to the fleet with Queen Maris’ ship tomorrow morning.” He looks over to Bow. “You can let Entrapta do what she wants with mine, since I guess I don’t need it now.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“We’ll have Entrapta make a long-range communicator so you can call for us if you need to,” Adora tells him. “Be a good leader, King Adam,” she jokes to her brother.</span>
</p><hr/><p>
  <span>The next morning, most of the people who were at the meeting the day before gather at Adam’s new ship- the royal ship. Hunter and Xino quickly board it, as well as Adam’s guards, although as He-Man he doesn’t need guards very much.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess I’m finally leaving Etheria for good,” Mara says to herself. “I spent most of my life- well, the first one- here, and now’s my time to leave for good.” She looks around at the Etherians who are there to send her and Adam off, but stops when she locates Finn, Catra, and Adora. “Thank you,” she tells them, “for helping me even when I wasn’t sure who I was.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’ll miss you,” Adora says. “We’ll </span>
  <em>
    <span>all</span>
  </em>
  <span> miss you. If it weren’t for you I doubt any of us would be here.” She walks over to her predecessor and pulls her in. “But I’m still gonna be the best She-Ra alive.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Mara chuckles as she returns Adora’s embrace. “You wish. I’m gonna be on a whole other level when I’m fixing the universe’s problems.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Eh, I’ve already done that enough,” Adora replies with a smile. The two release each other, and look over to Catra and Finn. “Come on you two, you can join in too,” Adora tells them. They run over to the two She-Ras and join in on the hug.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I have to thank you, too, Mara,” Finn mentions. “If not for you, I would never have been able to become They-Vah.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When the four finally release each other, Adam walks over to them.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>He sighs as he starts talking to them. “I’m sorry for what I did when I first got here. I wasn’t sure what was right and wrong, and I’m glad you were able to help me figure it all out. If you ever need help, or just want to visit Eternia, you’re more than welcome.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Thanks, Adam,” Catra says. “You should probably get going, your people are waiting for you.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“If He-Man and She-Ra aren’t enough you can always ask for They-Vah’s help,” Finn tells him, before finishing with, “Uncle Adam.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Adam starts to tear up, and hugs Finn before they can see him cry. Unsurprisingly, Adora, Catra, and Mara join in on the hug. As if the hug were a beacon for the Best Friend Squad, Bow and Glimmer join in on it. They all hold in place like they want time to stop.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>When they finally release each other, they’re all tearing up. They separate into two groups, Adam and Mara standing closer to the ship, while the others stand silently a short distance away.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I’m gonna miss you guys,” Adam says through tears. “We’ll visit whenever we’re nearby.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“Hey, we’ve got your ship </span>
  <em>
    <span>and </span>
  </em>
  <span>Darla,” Glimmer responds, also trying to hold back tears. “We can visit you at some point.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>Once again, the 7 of them stand silently as they start tearing up.</span>
</p><p>
  <span>“I guess this is goodbye,” Adora says. “Until we see you again, I’m sure you’ll reach great heights.”</span>
</p><p>
  <span>They all hug again, this time drawing Scorpia as well. Once Scorpia joins, it doesn’t take long for everyone else to as well. </span>
</p><p>
  <span>The group hug lasts for what feels like forever, and when it finally ends, Mara and Adam board the ship, the 2 of them setting off on a new adventure.</span>
</p>
  </div><div class="fff_chapter_notes fff_foot_notes"><b>Notes for the Chapter:</b><blockquote class="userstuff">
          <p>As I said, there are a bunch of references in this chapter, which are, in order:<br/>SUPERBLOOM<br/>Never Give Up On Me<br/>muse<br/>Coloring Outside The Lines<br/>Chasing This<br/>7-2</p>
        </blockquote><b>Author's Note:</b><blockquote class="userstuff"><p>This is my first fic, so please be kind, but I would love constructive criticism on it!<br/>As I mentioned in the notes at the top, my favorite band is referenced in every chapter. I'm working on a playlist of all of the song references in the story.<br/>The band is Misterwives btw, and in the notes for the final chapter I'll mention all of the references to their music.<br/>Even with so many Misterwives references, I couldn't not have other references in this, so look out for some others, including a Linkin Park reference, a Pokemon reference, and a bunch of others!<br/>My tumblr is https://tiny-opk.tumblr.com/ and I'll be posting updates there, as well as probably some other She-Ra stuff.<br/>New chapters are going to be Tuesday/Saturday now.</p></blockquote></div></div>
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